Reinventing Junzi
by Rhyainn
Summary: The junzi, as described by Confucianism, is the perfect person. The term can be translated as "superior person" or "noble person." Virtue guides the junzi-a person who exemplifies humanity at its best.
1. Carry On, Wayward Son

(This story is the rewrite of my old story _The One True Dragon_. As always, I love critical reviews. Be as mean as possible, please. I seriously appreciate it. I'd like to thank Katra21 for giving me the best freaking reviews ever and inspiring me to make these rewrites. Thanks so much for reading!)

Chapter 1 – Carry On, Wayward Son

Chase Young frowned as the redheaded boy took his stance. His feet were planted firmly; his arms were held up defensively. His eyes were focused, cautiously watching for his opponent's first move. Chase didn't move, but surveyed the boy before him suspiciously. Though it could hardly be called expert, or even advanced, the stance was good. Especially for Spicer.

The boy had only been training with the monks at the temple for three months, yet he seemed completely different from the useless fool Chase had found so easy to manipulate in the past. Though his hair was still wild and unkempt, the makeup, heli-bot, and yellow goggles were gone. The red robes and black sash of a newcomer at the Xiaolin temple had replaced the awkward black coat and pants. At a glance, nothing seemed to remain of the old Jack Spicer. More impressive than his improved stance was his improved sense of focus. His eyes didn't stray from Chase; the bumbling and uncertain sway to his step was replaced by the poise and balance of a warrior.

Chase's frown deepened, and he silently wished he'd been watching the temple closer during Spicer's training. Although he'd known the temple had taken the boy in, Chase had assumed the situation was only temporary. He'd figured Spicer wouldn't last long. After all, last time the monks had taken him in he hadn't even lasted one day.

If the monk's training could transform the idiot in such a short amount of time…

Chase found himself concerned about the effects their training might be having on his true enemies. He glanced over at the four monks standing nearby. The monks stood closely, their eyes flickering back and forth between Chase and his opponent. Three of them wore the red tunics of Wudai Warriors. One, however, their leader, wore the midnight-black of a Sho-Ku Warrior.

Raimundo concerned Chase. He had grown strong; his powers now rivaled even Omi's. Raimundo's growth had been accelerating rapidly, and, unlike Omi, he was growing in more than just physical strength. Omi was still young, jealous, and ambitious. Raimundo was growing wiser. Chase knew that soon he would be forced to do something about the monk's growing abilities. If left to flourish, Raimundo would eventually become a force to compete even with Chase himself.

And Raimundo had proven that no amount of trickery would work on him this time. The boy's victories against Hannibal had surprised Chase. Had almost impressed him. Perhaps Chase would have been more impressed if he didn't know Hannibal so well. Hannibal was a fool. Self-gratifying, overconfident, overanxious…Chase knew that fifteen hundred years of isolation had hit his old enemy hard. Hannibal had been able to fool the monks at first, but they had learned quickly.

"Hey, Chase, baby? I'm over here," Spicer's mocking voice pulled Chase back to the matter at hand. He looked back at his opponent, irritated that the child had the nerve to taunt him, the greatest warrior who had ever lived. Although Chase wondered how the monks had managed to teach so much to such a useless fool, he was certainly not afraid of the boy before him. Spicer was an insect to be squashed at Chase's leisure. Never would the boy be able to compete with even the weakest member of the Xiaolin team, let alone with Chase himself.

He bared his teeth in a grin. "So eager to die, worm? I am surprised at your newfound courage. Has the monks' foolishness worn off on you? You should know better than to challenge me, Spicer."

"Oh, should I?" The boy smirked. "Well maybe you should come show me whatcha got. I think you're all bark and no bite, Chase. You talk tough but I haven't seen you do much, really."

Chase bared his teeth again, but this time he wasn't smiling. "You will regret those words, Spicer. I will teach you to talk down to your betters."

* * *

><p>Jack had been dreading this moment for months. The moment when he would leave the safety of the temple and join the others for a 'shen-gong-wu round up' as Clay phrased it. Of course, it was just his luck that Chase Young happened to show up to this one. On their way there he had asked the others if they'd mind letting him get this wu. They had understood why and agreed wholeheartedly, remembering the honor of their first victorious showdowns.<p>

Jack had been hoping one of his old cohorts would show up, someone he knew he could beat. He was proud of his new abilities and hungering for a chance to show them off. But it was no second-rate villain who was waiting for them.

The others had rushed forward to help him when they had seen Chase Young waiting for them. The only thing Jack had wanted more than their help at that moment was to prove he could face Chase on his own. The thought of facing Chase terrified him, of course, but he didn't want them to see his fear.

Jack watched his opponent carefully, heart pounding in his chest. He desperately hoped his terror wasn't showing on his face as he fought to keep his breathing steady. He wanted to impress Chase almost as much as he wanted to impress the monks.

Chase lunged forward. He was at Jack's side like lighting, slashing out with a spiked fist. Jack ducked under his opponent's arm and aimed a kick at his legs. Chase looked surprised, but still avoided the kick easily by leaping back a few feet. Jack stood ready again. He knew he was shaking visibly, but he couldn't stop a smile from creeping onto his face.

"I see you have improved, Spicer," Chase said. "Well done." Jack's smile spread to a wide grin. He knew Chase was surprised. "However, you will need more than a few months of training for me to consider you an opponent." He turned and started walking toward the monks.

Jack's smile disappeared. He attacked.

Chase was ready and blocked Jack's punch without looking back, throwing the boy off balance. He aimed a punch at the young boy's head, but Jack dropped to the ground and rolled away. He leapt to his feet in time to see Chase's foot swinging forward but not in time to dodge. The boot connected with the side of his head. He flew across the rock plateau and winced as he skidded across the ground.

His vision blurred and he hurt all over, but he climbed to his feet. Chase was striding toward him, an amused grin on his face. Jack knew his face was burning red with embarrassment and anger. He knew he couldn't stand up to Chase. Regardless, he narrowed his eyes and regained his fighting position.

"Need another lesson, worm?" Chase was grinning. "I'd suggest staying down if you want to keep all of your body parts."

Jack said nothing but ran at his enemy. Chase avoided his charge and turned to attack, but Jack was gone. Jack watched with satisfaction as Chase's eyes widened with surprise as he spun, searching for his opponent. Jack was behind him, swinging at his face. His fist connected and sent Chase reeling. The Heylin warrior stumbled back a few steps and raised a hand to his mouth. A trickle of blood ran from his lip.

The others cheered and applauded, and Jack smiled over at them. He was proud, even though he knew he had just gotten lucky. Chase was underestimating him. Playing with him. Any small victories Jack could claim would be temporary. Once Chase became serious he wouldn't stand a chance.

"I see I have underestimated the effect a few months of training with real warriors can have on a worthless fool," Chase said.

"Well, you know Chase, that's how you get to be the best." Jack grinned. "Hanging with the best…"

Chase's face darkened and Jack knew he'd hit the nerve he'd aimed for. The monks had explained all about Chase's past. How he'd traded his immortal soul to defeat, not his enemy, but his closest friend. He had feared Guan would overshadow him. Believing that his Xiaolin monk abilities were not enough, he had turned to dark Heylin magic to assure that he would never be second best. Then he had even turned on the one who gave him his new Heylin abilities. He had locked Hannibal away in fear that his once-friend would become a rival. Jack knew Chase Young desperately wanted to be the best.

"You pathetic insect. How dare you challenge me? A thousand lifetimes of training wouldn't be enough to make you into an adequate warrior, let alone one worthy to call himself my enemy."

Jack didn't trust himself to say anything else. The look of fury on Chase's face told Jack that he was about to pay for his taunt. He fought to keep the fear from his face as he resumed his fighting stance and stood ready.

He hardly saw Chase move before a fist buried itself in his gut. He moaned and leaned forward, gripping at his stomach with both hands. Chase didn't pause but brought his elbow down into the back of Jack's neck. Jack was barely able to throw out a hand to catch himself before falling to his knees. He tried to push away from his opponent, but Chase kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying through the air to land ten feet away.

Jack lay gasping for breath. The monks were yelling for him to get up. He wanted to get up. Needed to get up. He lifted his head and watched Chase approaching, all amusement gone from his face. As his opponent came closer, Jack lowered his head again. But when Chase had stepped within reach Jack dove for his legs, trying to knock his opponent off his feet.

Chase stepped out of the way and aimed another kick at the fallen boy. This time his boot connected with Jack's ribcage. A scream escaped Jack's lips, and he cut if off by clamping his mouth shut.

As he squinted up through watery eyes, Jack noticed Chase's satisfied smirk had returned. He looked like he was preparing a victory speech, so Jack rolled away and climbed to his feet. Standing required effort, but the pain wasn't as bad as he'd expected.

"My, my, the monks have taught you how to take a beating much better as well. I'm surprised you aren't in tears, Spicer."

He felt close to tears, but he couldn't let Chase know that. "Yeah right, like you could make me cry. Your punches don't hurt at all."

"Your bravado is hardly convincing, worm."

"Yeah, but I have to try, don't I?" Jack muttered.

"Didn't catch that. Ready to beg for mercy?"

Jack forced a laugh and went back into his defensive position. "In your dreams, Chase." He held out a hand, palm up, and beckoned to his opponent. "Bring it on."

* * *

><p>Hidden in the rocky canyons, an immortal witch watched the battle between the boy and the warrior. Chase Young had locked away Wuya's Heylin magic when he had freed her from her ghostly prison, so she was forced to pretend to work for him while she secretly plotted her own return to power.<p>

"Jack has gotten good," Wuya said, though no one was around. "And in only three months. I never would have thought the boy had it in him." She chuckled to herself. "Of course, he has no idea what he's up against. Chase could destroy him in an instant. He might actually do it, too, if the fool keeps goading him on like that."

She winced as Jack took what appeared to be a particularly painful blow and was surprised to feel a twinge of concern for the boy. The fool should have quit while he was still alive. This was not his world, and he should have the sense to stay out of it. But Wuya knew Jack was far too thick to admit defeat and go home. He had always been an idiotic, headstrong child, too caught up in his foolish dreams to see how horribly outclassed he was.

Wuya prided herself in never hiding her feelings from herself or anyone. She was confident and self-assured, so she wasted no time pretending she wasn't worried for Jack's safety. She did, however, wonder where her concern came from. Back when she didn't have a body she couldn't have cared less for the boy. When had her feelings changed?

She thought back to the boy's old home, if it could have been called a home. His parent's house. His parents had never accepted him. They tried to hide his oddities by allowing him to use the basement as his new 'room.' Jack had been excited, assured by his parent's gesture of approval and support. But Wuya had seen the truth.

He was their son, however, and they did love him, as parents do. His mother especially. "My little genius," she would call him. When no one was around, of course.

Wuya felt suddenly angry. She realized that she cared more now than she had then. She was inexplicably furious at the boy's parents. True, Jack was a foolish child who was obsessed with inventing and couldn't even see that they mistreated him, but Wuya knew he deserved better.

He deserved better than them, and he deserved better than this. She eyed the four monks and the temple dragon, Dojo. This world of magic and power and deception and fear wasn't right for him. He wasn't like the monks. He deserved a normal life. He deserved to be accepted, loved for who he was. He needed someone who would accept his flaws and admire his accomplishments.

She doubted that even the Xiaolin temple could give him what he needed. Certainly the monks could teach him control, discipline, and fighting skills, but she wondered if they could nurture and love him. He was very different from them. Their courage and instincts for good were completely foreign to him. Maybe if he gave himself up, became like them, they would love him.

Perhaps he was doing just that. Wuya peered down and noticed for the first time the absence of Jack's beloved heli-bot (the device he wore on his back allowing him to fly) and trademark yellow goggles. She noticed that even his black eyeliner was missing. Was he really willing to betray himself in search of a home?

Her mind buzzed. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her head. Suddenly, her own voice, the shriek of her old ghostly form, echoed in her mind. _I'm not your mommy. Now pick up your toys, Jacky, and let's go home._

Her eyes shot open. Where had _that_ memory come from?

She eyed the fight, even more concerned than before. At this point it wasn't much of a fight. Jack was being kicked around like a rag doll. But every time he fell to the ground she watched him rise again to his feet, refusing to accept defeat. The fool was so damn stubborn. _Why are the monks just standing there? _Her angry thoughts turned on the four young warriors below. _Why won't they help? Chase is going to kill him…_

* * *

><p>Raimundo winced as Jack hit the ground and a sharp crack echoed throughout the jagged rock cliffs. He held out his hand to stop Clay from running forward, though he wanted to jump in and help as well. Clay caught his eye, a look of desperation on his face. The gentle earth monk usually tried to look for non-violent solutions to his problems and Rai knew he hated watching such a one-sided battle.<p>

Jack pulled one of his arms close to his body as he stumbled to his feet. It hung at a weird angle, and Rai knew at once that it was broken. Jack was visibly fighting back tears at this point, and only barely succeeding. His clothes were tattered and he was bleeding from a dozen different wounds. Raimundo noticed him trembling and caught him biting his lip to hold it steady.

"Rai, we can't let him do this!" Kimiko looked desperately up at him as well. Although much more violent than Clay, Rai knew she wasn't enjoying watching this fight either. Kimiko had a short temper and hated injustice as much as Clay. Raimundo saw licks of flame flaring up around her clenched fists. When the fire monk got angry she sometimes had trouble controlling her element.

Raimundo opened his mouth, but Omi, the water monk, cut him off.

"No, Kimiko. Jack told us not to interfere." Raimundo and the other two monks eyed him curiously. Omi was usually fiercely protective of his friends and of the weak. Jack belonged in both categories at the moment. Rai was surprised to see the look of fury on the young monk's face as he watched the fight.

"Omi's right, guys. We shouldn't step in until Jack asks us to," Raimundo said as he looked back at the battle. He kept his face calm and his arms crossed over his chest. But if anyone had been paying attention to him they would have noticed that his knuckles were white and he was gritting his teeth. He understood, of course, why Jack had wanted to grab the wu on his own. He was trying to show off his new abilities. Rai didn't blame him, but he was completely astonished that Jack had insisted on fighting Chase. He was even more surprised that Jack hadn't given up and started crying for their help by now.

"Jack, no! Stop it, let us help," Kimiko said.

"You can't beat him, partner, none of us can on our own," Clay said.

"Please, Jack Spicer, there is no shame in this defeat," Omi said. "It is a battle you cannot win!"

"No!" Jack's voice was surprisingly strong considering the beating he had endured, and he turned to face Chase once again. "Stay out of it guys. I said I'd get this one. I'm fine."

Raimundo slipped and let his anger show on his face. _Why does he have to be so damn stubborn? That idiot._

"But Jack…" Clay began.

"_No!_" His voice echoed and he charged at Chase once more. The warrior didn't even bother to dodge. He took Jack down with a single punch, and the boy flew across the ground. His frail body smashed against a large rock and crumpled to the ground. Rai watched as he struggled to remain conscious. His eyes fluttered and his good hand grasped at the ground. He coughed up blood, then his eyes closed and he collapsed on the ground. Chase walked over and stood above his still form.

"The world has no use for you, insect." He raised a booted foot above Jack's head. "Now die."

Rai's fist connected with Chase's cheek and sent him skidding across the ground. He floated between Chase and Jack's unconscious form, his eyes burning. Keeping himself in the air was easy now; he'd been training with his element, wind, for quite a while.

Chase leapt to his feet and was instantly surrounded by the other three monks. Rai watched with satisfaction as Chase suddenly felt the pain of the blow that had sent him flying. He stumbled slightly and spat out a tooth.

Chase held one hand to his cheek and pointed at Raimundo. "You will pay for that, boy."

"I don't think so, Dragon Breath," Rai kept his voice calm.

"Chase Young," Omi said, "today you have won. Leave now and we will fight another day."

"Or stay and this'll be our last time together." Clay's normally friendly voice was dark.

Raimundo watched Chase fight to keep the surprise and fear from his face. He felt a sense of sadistic pride as Chase fought to regain his control.

"If he is dead then it is no fault of mine," Chase said. "It was he who insisted the fight continue. I gave him ample opportunity to end it."

"That's why we're giving you this chance," Kimiko said. "You can leave now, victorious…"

"Or you can stay and fight us," Raimundo finished. He landed on the ground and slid into a fighting stance. Although he'd never wanted to kill anyone before, part of Rai hoped that Chase would attack.

* * *

><p>Wuya could have laughed at the fear on Chase's face, but her concern for Jack kept her silent. She watched Chase fly off. Well, what did he expect? That the monks would just stand by and watch him kill their new friend? He was very fortunate that Jack was too stupid to ask for their help. If Jack had asked them to help Chase would probably be leaving the battleground with quite a few broken limbs. The monks took their friendships very seriously, but they took honor just as much so.<p>

She followed the monks' movements as they crowded around Jack and carried him onto Dojo for transportation. Dojo said that he had seen warriors in worse condition recover in almost no time at all. "The temple healers will fix him right up," he said.

Wuya watched them fly off and then activated the Golden Tiger Claws. She leapt through the portal the claws had created and returned to her room in Chase's lair. She had barely hidden the wu away (Chase didn't know she had any shen-gong-wu, and she wanted to keep it that way) before she heard Chase stomping in the front door.


	2. Hand Me Down

Chapter 2 – Hand Me Down

Jack awoke in confusion and pain. He heard quiet voices around him, but he couldn't make out any words. He lay still and didn't open his eyes, worrying that movement would hurt him worse. For a moment, he couldn't remember what had happened. The bed he was lying on certainly wasn't the mat in his little room. The noises around him began to make more sense and he recognized the voices of the four monks. They were whispering, probably trying not to wake him up.

"…it was stupid, don't even try to defend him, Omi. I can't believe we just sat there and let Chase beat him up this badly," Kimiko said.

Suddenly, the fight with Chase burst into his head. The whole thing was a jumble of painful blows. His wounds seemed to hurt even worse as he remembered receiving them. The monk's voices became clearer as his grogginess subsided, but their words made him wish he were still asleep.

"I agree," said Clay. "So what if he wanted to prove himself? We all knew he wouldn't stand a chance 'gainst Chase Young. Rai, why'd you let him do this?"

"I don't know guys, I just felt like it was a good idea to give him a chance," Raimundo said. "He really wanted to…"

"He did _not_ want to and you know it, Rai," said Kimiko. "He was clearly terrified. He was just trying to look tough. Boys are so stupid."

Jack felt his cheeks go hot and hoped they wouldn't notice. Had his fear been that obvious? _Gee, thanks for the confidence, guys,_ he thought. If they thought he was such a wimp then why _did_ they let him fight?

"Oh, yeah, like you haven't done the exact same thing, Kimiko." Jack imagined Raimundo rolling his eyes as he spoke. "When it comes to trying to look tough, we all know you're the queen."

Clay interrupted Kimiko's protests. "Well, regardless, we shouldn't have let Jack try and take Chase on all by himself. He shouldn't even be fighting Chase at all."

"We honored his request," Omi said. "You all speak as though he died, but he is fine. He fought very well. I am proud to have such a brave warrior as my apprentice." Jack couldn't tell if Omi was telling the truth or not. Sometimes the kid could be a pretty good liar, but Jack appreciated the support regardless. And he _was_ fine. Other than the broken arm, his wounds weren't that much than ones the monks themselves had given to him in the past.

"Oh, sure, maybe to warriors like us wounds like this are no big deal," said Clay, "but to Jack they probably seem awful."

Jack had to restrain himself from jumping up and protesting. Had the monks just forgotten all their old fights? Jack wondered if they even had the ability to think badly of themselves. Kimiko agreed with Clay, but Omi again stood up for Jack.

"Kimiko, Clay, do not insult our friend. He is a great warrior…or at least, he will be one day…under my guidance. I am certain wounds like this will not discourage him."

"Yeah, right," Kimiko said. "He'll probably be packing his bags as soon as he wakes up." Jack was slightly surprised to hear that she didn't sound happy about this idea.

"He will not," Raimundo said. "I agree with Omi. Jack's had worse than this from us before, guys. Don't forget we used to beat him up on a regular basis."

The others were silent for a moment, and Jack could imagine them avoiding each other's eyes awkwardly. He appreciated Raimundo bringing their history up but still felt resentful at their lack of belief in him. Not that they really had any reason to believe in him. Not like he'd done much for them in the time he'd been staying at the temple.

Jack felt his frustration and embarrassment grow. He'd wanted to prove that he wasn't completely useless. He'd really been trying hard to learn as much as they could teach him during his time at the temple. He'd even changed his sleeping schedule, which, for him, was a big deal. Even though Master Fung wouldn't teach him, claiming he wasn't trustworthy, the four young monks had done their best to take him on as their trainee.

Jack heard a door opening followed by the monks' master's voice. "Jack Spicer's wounds are not going to heal faster through your force of will, young monks. Your chores are sitting untouched. I'm going to have to ask you to get back both them and your training."

He listened to the sound of the monks' retreating footsteps. After he heard the door close he let out a sigh and reached up, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he opened them.

Master Fung was sitting in a chair by his bedside. Jack yelped and jumped in surprise. Then he winced at the pain in his arm.

"Jack Spicer, you are awake," said Master Fung. Jack eyed the look of surprise on the old monk's face. Fung cultivated an outward appearance of complete calm, and Jack rarely saw him surprised.

"Uh," said Jack, "yeah. Guess so." Jack bit back a quip about the old man's ability to point out the obvious. No need to make him angry.

Fung had harbored an obvious dislike of Jack from the day the young monks had brought him to the temple. Jack hardly blamed him, though. The last time the monks had let him into the temple he'd betrayed them and stolen from them after just one day of training.

"Have you been awake for long?"

_You mean, was I listening to the monks talk about what a looser I am?_ Jack thought. "No, just woke up," he said. Trying to sound convincing, he added, "have I been out long?"

"Not long," said Fung. Jack couldn't tell if the monk was fooled by the lie. He noticed that Fung had brought in a tea set. The old man poured tea into the two cups and handed one to Jack. Though he didn't like tea much, Jack took the cup and gave Fung an awkward smile.

"We have much to discuss, Spicer." He lifted his teacup to his mouth and took a sip.

"Do we?" Jack couldn't fathom what the monk would want to talk to him about.

"The monks informed me that you fought well against Chase Young."

Jack wasn't able to hold back a bark of laughter. "They must think you're a real sucker. Hope you don't believe everything they tell you."

He cringed under Fung's reproachful glare. "Their lies are fairly easy to spot. I believe them when they tell me the truth. Which, surprisingly, has been more often as of late."

"Uh, well, no offense," Jack said, "and not to call them liars or anything, but I definitely didn't…I mean…I lost. Horribly. Didn't even get a hit in."

"As I heard the story you did get a hit in. A fairly good one."

"Yeah, well…didn't make a difference in the end, did it?" Jack glared down at his tea. When he caught sight of his reflection he immediately wished he hadn't. His face looked horrible.

"Remember, child, there are no lessons in victory, but a…"

"A thousand in defeat, I know." Jack rolled his eyes. He'd heard the proverb from Omi a thousand times. Generally right after he'd lost to the tiny monk in a spar.

"Then let us begin to review."

"Review what? What are you talking about?"

"Review your lesson, of course." Fung smiled for the first time as he sipped his tea.

"Let's see." Jack didn't bother to mask the irritated sarcasm in his voice. "I learned that Chase can't take a joke and the others really care more about honor than my life."

"Well, that's two out of the way. Although I'm not so sure about the second one. After all, they did save you, did they not?"

"I was being sarcastic."

"But you did learn these things, did you not?"

Jack looked at Fung for a moment while the old monk sipped his tea. Talking to any of the older monks always frustrated Jack. Why couldn't they ever just get to the point?

Not for the first time, Jack wondered what, exactly, he was doing at the temple. Monk life required way more patience than Jack believed he was capable of exercising. Omi assured him that he would adjust. Raimundo and the others had explained how difficult they'd found monk life at first. But Jack still couldn't believe he'd ever be able to sit and meditate for hours like they did every day.

Of course, Jack was grateful to the monks for inviting him to live with them. He just couldn't figure out why they'd done it. He was nothing but a burden on them, and he'd just proven that by loosing them a shen-gong-wu.

He glanced back down at his tea and noticed how weird his face looked without the eyeliner. He'd kept all of his old things (the heli-bot, his goggles, and some of his tools) when he'd moved into the temple, but he'd been a little afraid to use them. He felt completely out of place as it was in this group, no need to stand out any more than he already did.

Jack thought back to three months ago when he'd received five unexpected visitors to his empty lair. His parents had decided he should go to Japan as a transfer student and wouldn't hear any objections. They said he'd love it, that he needed to meet some new people, that it was for the best.

He packed up his entire lair, but they told him he'd be living in a dorm and wouldn't have room for so much stuff. He hadn't known what to do. He'd sat out three wu-alerts so that he wouldn't loose his two remaining shen-gong-wu.

The monks had shown up two days before he was scheduled to leave.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh, hey guys. What's up?" He raised a hand at them as he wondered how best to defend himself. His Jackbots were all disassembled. <em>

"_Where've ya been, Jack?" Raimundo's voice echoed against the walls of the empty basement. "We worried that maybe you'd blown yourself up or something. Figured we'd better come check on you. What's going on here?" _

"_Oh, yeah. Um…guess my parents think I'm too much trouble to keep around." He closed the box in front of him and taped it up. "I'm moving to Japan. Transfer student…"_

"_But, what about ruling the world and all that?" Raimundo raised an eyebrow as the others exchanged glances. _

_Jack opened his mouth to laugh but was interrupted._

"_Oh yes! Jack Spicer has finally seen the error of his evil ways! He has decided to go away for rigorous training in far-off lands." Omi did a few flips before continuing his rant. "Then he will return to us and join our quest to collect the shen-gong-wu and defeat evil!"_

"_Yeah, in your dreams, cue ball. I'm still going to…" Jack's voice trailed off. What _was_ he going to do? Even if he could somehow continue making Jackbots and meeting them for showdowns, he never won anymore anyway. Everyone, especially the monks, were growing stronger. He, on the other had, remained the same. Neither he nor his bots were a match for the monks. What was the point, really?_

"_Actually, Omi, I was thinking about just going away and living a normal life. Never trouble you guys again, never loose another showdown, never get the crap beaten out of me for your personal amusement…" The plan was starting to sound better and better._

"_What?" The four monks spoke in unison._

"_Really Jack? I can't believe this," Kimiko said._

"_You're leaving, just like that? Seems like a pretty dull end to our relationship, partner," said Clay._

"_Yeah, Spicer," said Raimundo, "what fun is the fight for good gonna be without your girly little scream to keep it interesting?" _

"_Oh, ha-ha, Raimundo. Isn't this exactly what you guys want? Me gone and never coming back? Out of your way? It's not exactly like you enjoy having me in your lives, right?"_

_The four monks exchanged glances, and Jack felt a strange twinge of happiness that they didn't answer right away. Maybe they were just trying to be nice for some reason, but he appreciated them not leaping for joy at his news. He'd expected them to. _

_Suddenly a shrill beeping noise filled the empty room. Jack looked down at his flashing watch as Dojo came sliding into the room. _

"_Guys, guys, a new wu just went active…"_

"_We know, Dojo," Raimundo said._

_Jack suddenly remembered an old conversation he'd had with the monks. "Hey, guys, if you think you could spare this wu, why don't we all go out for that ice cream I promised that one time? My treat, remember?"_

_He was actually a little surprised they did remember. Kimiko, Clay, and Omi looked up at Raimundo, who answered after only a moment's hesitation._

"_Well, we're supposed to make sure we get every shen-gong-wu…" Jack's heart sunk slightly, but Raimundo continued. "Why don't you come with us and we'll grab it on the way? Not like we'll have much competition, huh?"_

_Jack noticed the uneasy looks on Kimiko and Clay's faces, but Omi agreed wholeheartedly. _

"_All right, let's go, Spicer. Hope you can stomach a trip on Dojo." Raimundo grinned over his shoulder as they headed out of the lair. "He certainly takes some getting used to."_

* * *

><p>After hours of storytelling, reminiscing, and ice cream, they invited Jack back to the temple to stay the night. He accepted, of course. He was slightly in shock that he might have anything resembling friends. Even stranger was the fact that they were his sworn enemies.<p>

Master Fung had not been at all happy when the monks had brought Jack home. He remained uncertain until Raimundo pulled him aside and spoke to him privately. After their conversation, Master Fung had left to set up a place for Jack to sleep.

As Jack spent the evening with the monks, he began to enjoy their company more and more. They really were a great group of people, when you weren't on their hit list. Kimiko's punches were friendly (though they still hurt), and Clay's southernisms were pleasant rather than threatening (though they were still pretty obnoxious). Omi was pretty much exactly the same (hyper, oblivious, and egotistical).

Raimundo laughed and joked with the rest of the group, but Jack could tell he was watching closely. He could almost feel Raimundo's sharp gaze whenever his back was turned on the monk.

It actually got a little annoying. Jack wondered why Raimundo had invited him over and convinced Master Fung to let him stay. The young monk was acting like he didn't trust Jack at all. Then Jack caught Raimundo looking at him and was surprised by the expression on his face. Far from mistrusting, Raimundo seemed to be examining him with interest. Excitement, even.

Raimundo had looked away, quickly masking his expression. Though Jack had no idea why Raimundo was looking at him like that, he quickly forgot about the odd moment as he enjoyed himself with the monks. He had more fun that night than he had in a long time. And the best part was that the monks seemed to have fun as well. They listened to his stories. They laughed at his jokes.

He remembered his watch reading four in the morning as they all fell asleep. When he was about to head home in the morning, he couldn't keep the tears from his eyes.

* * *

><p>"<em>Jack? What is wrong, my friend?" Omi said.<em>

"_Nothing, nothing…" Jack said. He sniffled as the monks crowded around. "It's just that I… Thanks so much guys. That was the best time I've ever had. Thanks for letting me stay and all."_

_Raimundo grinned as he reached out and grabbed Jack's shoulder. "Well if you had fun then how about joining us for a little more?"_

_Jack looked up, confused. Raimundo's smile widened as he looked over at Master Fung. The old monk walked over and held out a red monk's robe to Raimundo. The wind monk took them and bowed deeply to his master. Then he turned back to Jack. _

"_How about it, Jack? Wanna give monk life another chance? It's not really that bad, once you get used to the food. And the sleep schedule. And the…"_

_Omi cut him off as he leapt into the conversation. "Yes! Jack Spicer, please join us here at the temple! I have always known you would be a great warrior on the side of good!"_

"_Yeah," said Kimiko. "For real this time, no funny business."_

"_Aw, no way Rai," said Clay. "You got Master Fung to agree to this?"_

"He said he won't teach you himself, not until you've proven you deserve it. But you're welcome to stay. We can teach you, if you want. Master Fung said he could talk it over with your parents."

"_I…uh… Raimundo, why…?"_

"_Let's just say I have my reasons," said Raimundo. "And you'll find out about them when I'm ready to tell you." _

_The other monks eyed him suspiciously, but Jack didn't care at the moment what Raimundo's motivations were. He could barely contain his excitement._

"_I'd love to stay, as long as you guys will have me." He reached out and took the robe from Raimundo. It was a real set this time, not just Omi's hand-me-down. He'd never felt quite like this before. The monks wanted him to stay. He was fairly sure no one had ever wanted him before. The others chattered together as they led him off to his new room._

* * *

><p>"Jack? Jack Spicer?" Master Fung's voice pulled him out of his memories.<p>

"Eh? Oh, sorry. I was just…thinking."

"Indeed. Spicer, why do you think we let you stay here with us?"

Jack blinked in surprise. Was Fung a mind reader or something? "Uh, well…I'm not sure, actually. Raimundo asked you to?"

"Yes, that, but why do you think he asked me to allow this? I am not an easy person to persuade, Spicer. Raimundo was quite insistent." He placed his empty cup down and leaned back in his chair.

"I don't have any idea. He acted like it was a big secret, maybe you should ask him."

Fung smiled again. "Raimundo, as you know, has ascended to the level of Sho-Ku warrior. This makes him the leader of the four, but he is also now only one step below me as far as rank is concerned. He has grown the most out of my students by far, both in strength and wisdom."

Jack wanted to point out that Raimundo obviously wasn't _that_ wise. He'd stood by and done nothing while Jack lost him a shen-gong-wu.

"I trust his judgment," Fung said. "He pointed out to me a few of your qualities I had not yet seen. In fact, he said he believes you have great potential as a warrior."

Jack frowned. He'd thought Omi was the only blindly optimistic monk of their little group. "Maybe you should go and talk to him about it again. After my fight with Chase he may have changed his mind…"

"Children do not grow into warriors overnight, Spicer. You must have patience. Chase Young is over fifteen hundred years old. Did you expect to defeat him after only three months of training?"

Jack didn't answer. He knew it would sound stupid to admit that even though he hadn't _expected_ to beat Chase, he had _wanted_ to very badly.

"You must allow me to apologize, Jack. I distrusted and had little faith in you. I worried that you might betray us again, but you have proven me wrong."

Again, Jack was surprised. Master Fung was apologizing to _him_? "Uh, no problem. I mean, I wouldn't have trusted me either."

"Raimundo and the others have taught you well. You have shown much improvement during your short time here at the temple. My Sho-Ku warrior was wise to see such potential in you.

"I now wish to ask you a most serious question. You should not answer right away; the matter will require much meditation."

Jack leaned forward, anxious.

"I would like to train you, as I trained the others. You will begin as you are now, in your current rank and will move up from here. I must warn you, however, that you are not a chosen one like Kimiko, Clay, Omi, and Raimundo. You will have no element to master and therefore no power to help you along the way.

"This path will not be an easy one. Should you choose to train here, it will take your entire life. The others understand and have agreed to this commitment. They have given up their families and friends for the battle of good versus evil." He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "Such is the life of a Xiaolin warrior."

Jack remained silent, unsure of how to react. Of course he wanted to become stronger, but give up his whole life? Become a monk? He was already sick of monk life, and he'd only been living at the temple for three months.

Plus, the whole good-versus-evil thing had never attracted him much. Except when he was back on the evil side. Even though he was committed to improving his abilities, and committed to staying with the only people who'd ever acted like he could be their friend, he couldn't care less about the fight for good and all that.

Master Fung rose to his feet, took the tea set, and headed out of the room. "Meditate on these things, young one. I am certain you will make a wise decision."

* * *

><p>Wuya sat on the edge of the fountain in Chase's lair, trailing her fingers through the water. She felt as trapped and helpless as when she was back in her ghostly form. Living with Chase and acting as his pawn was stifling.<p>

Wuya hated that she was forced to pretend to be his pet. She was the greatest Heylin witch who had ever lived. Who was Chase to control _her_? To treat _her_ like she was inferior?

But there was nothing she could do at the moment. Wuya didn't have her Heylin abilities to help her get what she wanted. She would just have to find another way to check on Jack.

Her implausible concern for the boy frustrated her even further. What was the boy to her? Nothing. He had never meant a thing to her. He was just a pawn, a tool she used to gain strength. Yet she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to him. Curiosity plagued her and she was beginning to feel more nervous than she had in a while.

Wuya found herself plotting, for the hundredth time, a potential plan to escape from Chase's lair and visit the temple. Chase was in his room, nursing his bruised ego and probably training. He was always training. She would have a hard time sneaking away from the house while he was there. And even worse, he now had his crow watching over the temple non-stop. _Talk about overreacting,_ Wuya thought. _Is poor Chase so afraid of a little competition?_

She gazed down at her distorted reflection in the water. Wuya was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize what she was seeing for a few moments. Under the water on the floor of the fountain were a few loose pebbles. Chase's 'house' was just a huge cave, so gravel was pretty much everywhere. These stones, however, seemed to have minds of their own. They were rolling around in a little circle, chasing her circling fingertips.

Wuya pulled her hand out and leaned closer, examining the rocks. But they stopped moving as soon as her hand left the water. She frowned and reached in, pulling out one of the larger pebbles. It wasn't any bigger than a pea. Wuya couldn't see anything special about the small rock. She dropped it back into the water with the others and watched them. They didn't move.

"What is this?" Wuya's words were quiet, meant only for her own benefit. She'd had the habit of talking to herself for as long as she could remember. She dipped her hand back into the water and twirled her fingers around again, trying to coax the rocks to move.

After a few minutes she gave up. She headed to her room, her thoughts wandering back to Jack Spicer. She stifled a yawn as she closed the door.

"I should really get out more," she said. "I'm getting lazy hanging around this desolate hole all the time." She flopped forward onto her bed and shut her eyes.

* * *

><p><em>Wuya wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to keep warm. She leaned against the brick wall as the rain plastered her hair against her face and neck. She looked down at her clothes, wondering how the sleeveless shirt and thin pants were going to keep her warm during the winter. The cold rains had become more and more frequent; she knew that any day she'd start waking up in her alley covered in frost. Then the ground would be covered in snow. <em>

_A little girl had no chance of surviving on the streets during the winter, and Wuya knew she'd need to figure something out soon. At the moment, however, she was worried only about dinner. Hunger tore at her like some sort of angry beast. She forced the feeling back and focused on the potential meal before her._

_The older man across the street had finished his meal at the outdoor food stand and was paying the cook. Wuya kept her eyes on him. His smile seemed to cheer the cook and the other customers at the stand. They gave him wholehearted goodbyes, as though they were all old friends, though Wuya knew they had just met. His white monk's robes told her that he would be providing her next meal. Monks were always kind and giving, especially to street children. Even Wuya, with her odd appearance, could often coax a little bit of food out of them._

_He stepped out from under the awning and opened an umbrella. Wuya ran across the street and into the man's path. When he looked down she didn't say anything, but held a hand out, knowing her expression and clothes would tell the man what she wanted. Wuya rarely spoke; she had learned very quickly that the best way to loose a meal was to open her mouth._

_The monk blinked down at her. Wuya was surprised to see the emotions that flickered across his face. Instead of the typical revulsion or fear, his eyes showed worry. Even sympathy. _

_Wuya was used to people treating her differently than the other street children. Most of them could get enough food by begging, but normal people rarely gave anything to Wuya. At first she'd thought their dislike was for her odd facial tattoos, but Wuya swiftly realized that there was something else about her they didn't like. She had no idea why, but people always shied away from her. Adults looked at her with disgust; children looked at her with fear._

_This monk was different, however. He smiled as he kneeled down and held the umbrella over her. Wuya felt warmth rush through her as he reached up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She found herself blushing as his eyes shone into hers. His gaze felt powerful and reminded Wuya of the sun. She was struck by the strange fear that she might hurt her eyes if she looked at him for too long, so she dropped her gaze to the ground. He ran his fingers along the marks on her face. _

"_Poor child." His voice was quiet, but Wuya had no trouble hearing him over the rain. "You have been touched by great evil, it seems."_

_Wuya didn't know what he was talking about. She worried that he might be mistaking her for someone else, but she said nothing. His touch was as warm as his eyes. Wuya couldn't remember the last time anyone had touched her. Even when people gave her food they always dropped it into her hands; the thought of brushing hands with her seemed to repulse them. _

"_What is your name, young one?"_

_Fear struck Wuya suddenly. She didn't want to upset him by not answering, but she knew her voice would send him away. Even more than her touch, Wuya's voice seemed to terrify those who heard it. She looked back up at him and shook her head._

_His smile widened. "I know you can speak. It is all right. You have nothing to fear. Speak to me, child."_

_Wuya's lips quivered as she opened her mouth and whispered her name. She worried that he couldn't hear and would ask her to repeat herself, but he reached up and rubbed her head._

"_Might I make you an offer, Wuya? Come with me and live at my temple. The other monks and I can give you a nice home." He laughed at her shocked expression. _

"_Ours is not a luxurious life, to be sure, but it is a happy one. I even have a son about your age who is in need of a friend. I'm sure the two of you will find companionship in each other."_

_His voice seemed to fade out as Wuya stared at him, completely stunned. She didn't catch much of his explanation about his temple and his son. This man wanted her to live with him? No one had ever wanted her before, not that she could remember. _

_Wuya assumed, of course, that her parents must have wanted her at some point. She knew that she couldn't possibly have survived so long without someone's help. But whoever had helped her through infancy certainly wasn't around anymore. _

"_So, what do you say, little one? Are you in need of a family?" _

_When he held his hand out, Wuya took it without hesitation._

* * *

><p>When Wuya opened her eyes she felt a strange, lingering sensation of warmth on her cheek and in the palm of her hand. She sat up and eyed her reflection in the mirror.<p>

"What," she said to the mirror, "was that?" The dream had certainly felt like a memory, but Wuya couldn't remember her childhood. She'd somehow lost all memory of her past. Everything before her rise to Heylin power was completely gone. Wuya knew that Heylin abilities often required some sort of sacrifice; she had always assumed that the loss of her past was the price she had paid for her powers.

But then where had that dream come from? The dream didn't fade away; instead, Wuya could think back on it and remember more details as she went over the scene in her mind. She didn't recognize the monk, but his clothes told her that he had been the master of a temple.

She started going over his words in her head. Her younger self hadn't caught much of what the old monk was saying, and wouldn't have recognized the significance even if she had, but one sentence kept replaying in Wuya's memory.

My son is a sweet boy, the kindest child you'll ever meet. His name is Dashi, and he will treat you well…

Wuya couldn't help but laugh aloud at the absurdity of the monk's words. Dashi, a kind boy? Dashi, treat her well? It was because of Dashi's trickery that she had been locked in a tiny box for fifteen hundred years. Remembering him brought an ugly look to her face. She clenched her fists and tried to push the dream from her thoughts. No use dwelling on the past. There were much more important issues to deal with at the moment.


	3. Poker Face

Chapter 3 – Poker Face

Chase raised an eyebrow as he approached Wuya, who was sitting by the fountain. She had been acting strange for a while now, but this behavior was odd even for her. She had lined up a few small rocks on the edge of the fountain and was observing them closely. Randomly, she would reach up and poke one or push one into the water. Chase wondered, not for the first time, if fifteen hundred years in that puzzle box had affected her mental capacity.

"Wuya." Chase's voice was quiet and calm but, as always, commanded immediate attention.

The immortal witch leapt around to face him with a yelp of surprise. The look on her face made him chuckle. Although Chase moved silently and masked his presence out of habit, he was still slightly surprised that she hadn't noticed his approach. Even the monks were able to sense his presence, but Wuya was so oblivious.

"Jumpy today, aren't we, Wuya?"

"Chase, don't sneak up on me like that!" Though he found it amusing, Chase was also irritated by the breathless tone in Wuya's voice. She visibly worked to calm herself down.

In his youth, Chase had seen Wuya as such a formidable foe. When he'd been living at the temple with Dashi and Guan, the three of them had been forced to work together to stop her. She'd appeared out of nowhere, her Heylin powers far surpassing anything they'd ever seen. Even with their combined forces, they hadn't been able to kill her. Dashi built the puzzle box and they were able to draw Wuya out and trap her inside. After that, generations of Xiaolin warriors had lived in terror of the Heylin witch's return to power.

"If you spent more time training and less time doing your hair perhaps you would have sensed me." Chase watched with enjoyment as she tried to mask her anger. He looked down at the pebbles. "What are you doing, Wuya?"

Her gaze dropped to the rocks and her expression suddenly changed. Chase frowned as she tried to conceal her hand-in-the-cookie-jar look.

For all that he remembered her being, Chase had expected Wuya to be a powerful ally. She'd ended up being little more than a nuisance. Just one more thing to keep an eye on. And Wuya had been especially irritating recently.

"Oh…nothing." She smiled up at him as she leaned back on her palm, knocking the pebbles into the fountain. "Nothing at all, Chase, why do you ask?" She crossed her legs and put on a mask of innocence.

Chase narrowed his eyes and his frown deepened. Wuya's reaction told him that she certainly _was_ up to something. Case had once been concerned that Wuya might find some way to oppose him. He knew she had always planned on turning against him, but Wuya could never be a threat to him with shen-gong-wu alone. The way she had been acting recently, however, made Chase wonder why he even bothered watching her actions when there were much more important issues to attend to.

The pain in his cheek stung. Chase resisted the urge to rub it, not wanting Wuya to know the injury was still hurting him. He clenched his fists as he remembered Raimundo's calm expression. Did those pathetic monks think _they_ were a threat to _him_? A match for _him_? Chase felt his lip curl, a low growl growing in his throat.

"Did you want something, Chase?" Wuya's voice was back to its normal monotone of irritation.

Chase forced himself to calm down, not wanting Wuya to see his anger.

"I need to speak to you about Spicer." He watched her expression. Wuya showed her surprise openly but tried to hide the rest of her reaction. He thought he saw fear…perhaps guilt?

"What about him?"

"In the time you spent with him, did he ever come across as the type to…eh…" Chase tried to word his question carefully. "What sort of potential did you see in him? As a warrior?"

Again, Wuya allowed her astonishment to show. Then she laughed. "A warrior? Jack Spicer? Chase, I never knew you had a sense of humor."

"Answer the question, Wuya." Chase didn't suppress the growl in his voice.

"None, of course. He is nothing more than a child. I used him while I could, but he has outlived any value at this point." She waved her hand dismissively. "Why the sudden interest?"

"It is not I who has taken interest."

"Oh? Who then?" Wuya feigned indifference, but Chase saw the curiosity in her eyes.

"The monks. That is, the master of that temple in which Omi and the others are training. He has asked Spicer to train at the Xiaolin temple."

"Wasn't he already training at the temple?"

"Only under the apprentices, it seems. His progress has been remarkable, considering he had no actual teacher." Chase didn't bother to add that the boy's progress would have been remarkable even _if_ he'd been training under the master.

"Has it?" Wuya said, again masking her expression. Then a twisted grin spread across her face. "You aren't telling me you're afraid of Spicer? Surely the Xiaolin monks' new pet isn't too much for the immortal and invincible Chase Young?"

Chase resisted the urge to slap the smirk off Wuya's face. "Do you want me to dispose of you, woman? I assure you, I would not be opposed to the idea."

"Just having a bit of fun with you, Chase. Guess you don't have a sense of humor after all."

"On the contrary, perhaps we simply don't agree on what should be considered humorous." Chase sneered. "After all, while I would be quite amused by the sight of you writhing in pain, I doubt you would find it funny."

Chase held eye contact, letting her know that he was serious. After a moment, Wuya dropped her furious gaze to the ground. Chase turned, satisfied, and walked back up the stairs.

Pacing in his room, Chase rubbed his cheek. Every time he felt the pain his irritation grew. Chase began to grind his teeth together, his hatred of the young monks rising higher than it ever had. Omi had always interested him, and the others had always been little more than occasionally amusing insects. But they could absolutely not be allowed to treat him with such disrespect. Raimundo needed to be dealt with. Immediately.

* * *

><p>The first thing Raimundo noticed as he led the other monks back into the infirmary was the look on Jack's face. Far from excited about Master Fung's offer, Jack seemed to be quite conflicted. Raimundo watched Jack hasten to mask his anxiety as he looked up at the monks.<p>

"Hey guys, what's up?" Jack's grin appeared more than a little forced.

"Jack Spicer!" Omi leapt onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Jack's head, causing the boy to wince in pain. "Master Fung has just told us the most joyous news! I could not be happier for you, my friend! I always knew you would prove yourself to be a great warrior in the battle against evil! Now you can commit your life to the temple and to good! The life of a monk is the best anyone could ever ask for, and your assistance in gathering the shen-gong-wu will be—"

"Omi, chill, give the guy some space." Raimundo grabbed the water monk and pried him away from Jack. "He's still injured, remember?"

"Yeah, little buddy, don't hurt the poor guy even worse," said Clay.

Raimundo eyed Jack as Omi apologized and then plunged back into his speech. The wind monk was surprised at Jack's apparent concern over Master Fung's offer. He'd expected Jack to be excited. Proud. _Guess it's hard to be proud when you just got beaten up so bad_, Raimundo thought. He knew Jack shouldn't feel bad about loosing to Chase. The amateur fighter had preformed astonishingly well against such an experienced opponent. But Raimundo knew how he'd feel in Jack's position. _No matter how well he did_, Rai thought, _it wasn't good enough._

"So how are you feeling, Jack?" Kimiko interrupted Omi's tirade with a glare in his direction.

"How's that arm, partner?" Clay leaned in to look at Jack's bandages.

"Uh…fine." Jack looked as though he wished the subject of his injuries hadn't come up. "These wounds are no big deal, I dunno what Chase is always bragging about. You guys' attacks hurt a lot worse."

Raimundo decided to humor the lie. "Of course they do, Jack. Bet you're glad we beat you up all those times now, eh? Built up a tolerance for pain. You can thank me however you wish…though cash is my preferred method."

Jack gave Raimundo a flat glare. "How about an IOU?" His bruised face split into a familiar evil smirk. "I'm sure I could find time to return the favor."

"Sure Jack, if you think you're up to it. Just a warning, though, Chase'll seem like a warm-up compared to the Dragon of the Wind." Rai grinned and flexed his arms.

"Very funny, Rai," said Kimiko, rolling her eyes.

"You are not the Dragon of the Wind yet, Raimundo," said Omi. "And you should not be challenging Jack to battles at this moment. Can you not see that he is injured?"

"Yeah, about that…Jack, you fought really well against Chase," said Kimiko.

"I couldn't agree more. For your first real battle, and especially against Chase Young." Clay reached out and patted Jack on the shoulder.

"Not well enough to get that wu…"

"Jack Spicer, you are being most ridiculous. You have only been training here for three months! And only under us, not that my training is not the best you could ask for." Omi grinned and flexed his muscles.

Raimundo watched the growing discomfort and embarrassment in Jack's face. Regret twisted in Raimundo's gut as he told himself, for the hundredth time since the battle, that he shouldn't have let Jack fight Chase. Kimiko had pointed out that Rai wouldn't have let any of the other monks fight Chase alone, and she was right. No matter how much they demanded a one-on-one match, Raimundo wouldn't have allowed it.

A surge of guilt ran through Raimundo as he watched his three friends reassure Jack. Although he didn't want to admit it, Jack's stubborn insistence wasn't the only reason he'd allowed the fight. Jack's progress at the temple was impressive and surprising. Jack was doing even better than Rai had guessed and hoped he would. Raimundo was possessed with curiosity over Jack's abilities and had wanted to see how the young warrior would perform.

Although Raimundo had told himself repeatedly not to get his hopes up, he couldn't help but feel thrilled about the potential Jack represented. The others didn't know the real reason Raimundo had wanted Jack to train at the temple with them. Raimundo had been studying the scrolls of the temple for a while and had come across an interesting concept just before Jack had stopped showing up to shen-gong-wu alerts three months ago.

The authors of the scrolls had apparently worked off of some old Confucian ideas when coming up with the concept they called The Warrior's Mean. Their theory revolved around the idea that a mind or soul could not reach its truest potential unless it was in harmony with itself. Furthermore, the scrolls emphasized the existence of good and evil within every soul.

Master Fung had always taught them about the balance of good and evil within each person. He had warned them to keep their evil sides in check, but never to abandon them completely. The master had even gone so far as to help them cultivate certain aspects of their evil sides. After reading about the concept of The Warrior's Mean, Raimundo understood why.

"Don't you agree, Rai?" Kimiko gave Raimundo a meaningful look, silently urging him to support her.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," said Rai, wondering briefly what he was agreeing with. "Anyways, Jack, what all did Master Fung say to you? He told us he invited you to train with him and all, but what else did he say?"

The others turned to Jack expectantly. He looked even more uncomfortable, but relayed the conversation. "And he said that you'd pointed out some of my better qualities, Raimundo." Jack grinned. "I don't understand how he didn't notice my great qualities himself. After all, I am positively overflowing with them."

Raimundo ignored Jack's subtle tone of sarcasm. "Oh yeah, humility being at the top of the list, as we all know, right?"

"Of course, Raimundo. Although I think I learned that one from the master—"

"Oh yes! Jack has learned many great skills from his master," said Omi. "Me!"

"Dude, you can be so oblivious sometimes," said Raimundo as Jack snickered.

"So Raimundo," Jack said, obviously trying to sound casual, "exactly which of my qualities _did_ you point out?"

Raimundo frowned and glanced around at the others, hesitating. He had a lot of good reasons for not explaining that he believed Jack could end up being a greater warrior than any of them. With twinge of shame, Raimundo decided to give them a half-truth.

"Well, I told him that you're pretty resourceful and can be crafty when you need to. You're really a lot like me, when you think about it. We could always use someone else like me on the team." Raimundo pushed his hair back, grinning. "Warriors like us, who have some experience with our dark sides, are a lot better at dealing with evil, don't you think?"

Jack's expression told Raimundo that the injured boy didn't quite believe him, but Omi and the others burst into outraged objections. Raimundo was impressed with how rapidly Jack's senses had been sharpening. Just a few months ago Jack would have believed anything anyone told him. Now he could see through Raimundo's lies, which could typically fool even Master Fung.

Raimundo could tell that Jack was preparing more questions, so he stood up and stretched.

"Well Jack, I'm really glad you're up and all, but I've got to head out and get in my isolation training." Raimundo made sure to spend a good amount of time each week in the nearby mountains training alone. Master Fung had assigned this new task, and Raimundo had objected at first. However, after a few weeks he'd discovered that he liked the isolation a lot more than he thought he would.

Raimundo almost laughed at the look of irritation on Jack's face. "Dunno how long I'll be gone, as usual. I'm sure you guys can handle things here. Come get me if a shen-gong-wu reveals itself, kay?"

The others said goodbye, and Raimundo waved over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

* * *

><p>Wuya watched from the balcony as Chase headed out with a few of his strongest jungle cats. Those tigers, panthers, and lions, Wuya knew, were much more than they seemed. Chase had been alive for more than fifteen hundred years, and he had made plenty of enemies in that time. He had eliminated his many foes by gaining possession of their souls and transforming them into animals.<p>

The defeated warriors now spent their time lounging around the cave until Chase had need of them. Those cats were one of the biggest reasons Wuya was careful not to get on Chase's bad side until she could defeat him. Wuya wasn't particularly afraid of them; they were just defeated and soulless husks of their former selves. But the potential they represented frightened Wuya more than she wanted Chase to see.

That, of course, was Chase's true reason for keeping the cats. They sent a powerful message to his enemies. _Men have opposed me before, _they said. _See where they are now?_ Wuya shuddered at the idea of being turned into one of those creatures.

However, despite her fear, Wuya couldn't miss this opportunity. Chase was gone. If she hurried, Wuya was confident she could slip into the temple, check on Jack, and get back to the cave without anyone noticing.

Wuya pulled the Golden Tiger Claws from their hiding spot in her room and teleported into the temple's shen-gong-wu vault. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness. Once they had, Wuya searched around until she found the wu she wanted.

"Shroud of Shadows." Wuya wrapped the cloth around herself and disappeared from view. The gray cloth, no bigger than a towel, made her completely invisible when draped over her head and shoulders. Although Wuya hated to give Dashi credit for doing anything correctly, the shen-gong-wu he had created were absolutely incredible. The shen-gong-wu's abilities were virtually limitless. The magical artifacts were especially useful now while she couldn't access her Heylin powers. _How ironic_, Wuya thought, _that Dashi's greatest creations give power to his greatest enemy. _

With a longing glance back at the rest of the shen-gong-wu, she activated the Golden Tiger Claws and stepped through the portal. Wuya hated missing the chance to raid the entire vault, but she couldn't take more than she had. The monks wouldn't notice the absence of one wu for a while. However, if many were gone they would realize right away. If they knew, so would Chase, and it wouldn't take him long to figure out where they'd gone.

Wuya stepped out of the portal into a corner of the infirmary just as three of the young monks were heading out. The older monks were shooing Kimiko, Omi, and Clay out, insisting that Jack take some time to rest.

"He has been sleeping for so long already," said Omi. "Jack must return to his training!"

"He will be well enough to train soon, Omi," said one of the old monks. "Out."

Invisible, Wuya crept closer to Jack's bed, careful to avoid moving too close to the young monks. Those kids were getting more perceptive every day. They could sense evil almost as well as Dashi had been able to.

The thought of Dashi reminded Wuya of her strange dream. If it _had_ been a memory, did that mean she had spent time with Dashi and his father during her childhood? Wuya watched the monks exiting the room with a derisive smirk. Maybe she'd forgotten her past intentionally. Wuya certainly couldn't imagine a childhood with Dashi at a Xiaolin temple being an enjoyable experience.

Wuya snuck closer to Jack as the door closed behind the last monk. The boy gave an irritated sigh as he sat up and pulled off the loose white robe the infirmary monks had most likely forced him to wear. Jack winced as he moved the sleeves over his wounds. Underneath the robe he was wearing a black tank. He ran his fingers over the cast on his arm and Wuya was surprised at the look on his face; she was sure she'd never seen it before. Jack seemed to be deep in thought.

"And Fung thinks _I'm_ untrustworthy," Jack muttered to himself. "Does that guy _ever_ tell the truth?"

As Wuya neared the bed, she noticed Jack's darker complexion. The boy wasn't nearly as tan as Raimundo, of course, but his sickly pale skin had taken quite a bit of sun during Jack's three months of training.

Jack's face suddenly grew dark and he jerked his head up, scanning the room. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Wuya was surprised by the strength in Jack's voice. He spoke with a commanding tone she'd never heard him use before. Was _this_ what Chase was so afraid of? Jack was certainly changing, but surely Chase didn't see him as a threat.

Suddenly, Jack grabbed a plate of food that had been sitting on the bedside table and hurled it at Wuya. She wasn't able to stifle her surprised cry as she ducked, the plate narrowly missing her head.

Jack's face showed his shock. "Wuya? What are you doing here? Don't even try to hide; I'd recognize your scream anywhere. Anyway, you're covered in food now."

Wuya eyed the bits of food that clung to the shroud with irritation. Finally, she pulled the cloth away from her body.

"Hello Jack." Wuya kept her voice casual as she walked up next to the bed. She tried to look over his wounds without him realizing. Jack seemed to be healing well enough, but Wuya felt a twinge of anger toward Chase. _You hardly had to be so rough with him, Chase, _Wuya thought. A voice in her head reminded Wuya that she had been just as rough with the boy in the past, but she tried to ignore it.

"What are you doing here?" Jack glared up at her.

"Just stopping by to see how my precious evil boy genius is doing in his old age." Wuya twirled her hair absently.

"Don't even go there you old witch. Why don't you just get to the truth? I'm not buying any of your crap this time."

Wuya chuckled. "Now Jack, I'm hurt. Honestly, I'm only looking out for your best interests." Saying it outright seemed to be the only way to keep the boy from realizing it was the truth.

"Ha-ha. My best interests, huh? Just like you used to?" Jack's gaze was steady, his eyes not leaving hers. Wuya felt a nervous desire to look away. Jack's stare was suddenly so piercing. "How nice. Guess it'll be just like old times."

Without answering, Wuya paced around to the other side of the bed and sat down in a chair, crossing her legs. Uneasiness rose in her stomach, but Wuya kept her face calm. She leaned forward and stuck out her lower lip in a pout.

"Jack, when are you planning on double-crossing these losers and coming back to us on the Heylin side? It's where you belong, you know. And we've missed you so much—"

A harsh laugh cut her off. "Missed? Missed what? Do you really think I'm _that_ stupid? What could you possibly have missed about me?"

The boy's bitter tone hurt Wuya slightly, though she wasn't completely sure why. Jack was correct. His idiocy had been nothing but an embarrassment to Wuya and the other Heylin warriors. Especially when the two had been working together, before Chase and Hannibal had shown up. Wuya had wanted to strangle Jack when the young Xiaolin monks, who'd only just begun their training at the temple, had defeated them over and over.

Wuya opened her mouth, but Jack interrupted her again. "You know what, Wuya? Go away. Go crawling back to Chase and Hannibal like the worm I was too dumb to realize you were."

Irritation mixed with Wuya's apprehension. Jack had always had a bit of a smart tongue, but he usually had the brains to know when to keep his mouth shut. The boy had certainly gained a bit more courage, to insult Wuya like that when she clearly had the upper hand.

Jack smirked at her reaction. "Or won't they take you? You're just a powerless old has-been, you know that? Maybe you should look for a career in a different field, cuz you really don't do evil very well anymore." Jack leaned back on his pillow and closed his eyes, his grin broadening. "I heard you were doing pretty well as Chase's housecleaner. Maybe you should market that skill."

Instantly, Wuya forgot the reasons for her visit. Her sympathy for Jack vanished, as did her odd nervousness, and she leapt to her feet, sending the chair crashing to the ground. Fury consumed her as she clenched her fists.

"You little fool!" Wuya's screech sounded very similar to her ghostly form. "How _dare_ you speak to me in such a way? I will destroy you where you lie! I do not need my powers to crush a pathetic, whiney, simpering, little _child_!"

Jack cracked one eye open. "Better keep it down. Wouldn't want Chase to know you left the house before finishing the dusting."

Wuya reached down and gripped Jack by the front of his shirt. Sending him crashing into a medicine cabinet across the room did little to calm her rage. The little brat. As though a few months of training gave him the right to mock _her_.

As Jack tried to pick himself up, Wuya lunged across the room. She reached down to grab him again, but his good arm shot up and his fingers tightened around her skinny wrist.

The moment seemed to freeze as Wuya suddenly noticed that more than the tint of Jack's skin had changed. His grip was like a vice. Wuya saw the lines of muscle in his arm, once so scrawny and weak. Jack's glare met hers and for a second the resolve in his fiery eyes stunned her.

Then Jack threw her back across the room and onto his bed.

"Oh please." Jack chuckled as he climbed to his feet, using the shelves for support. His legs shook and Wuya noticed red stains blossoming from beneath his white bandages. "Compared to Chase your attacks hardly even tickle. You really wanna see what I can do? Bring it on." His voice dropped to a mumble. "It'll be nice to face an opponent I actually stand a chance against."

Wuya rolled off the bed and to her feet, eyes and face burning. With a wordless screech, she lunged at Jack. The boy would pay for his insolence. Wuya would make him regret disrespecting her.


	4. All The Right Moves

Chapter 4 – All The Right Moves

Jack dodged Wuya's wild swing and skipped back, out of her range. The fury and embarrassment on her face made Jack want to laugh, but he felt a little bad at the same time. Everyone knew that Wuya could be touchy about the loss of her powers, but Jack had never seen her this angry. Well, not since she was back in her ghostly form. He remembered, with amusement, her furious screeches whenever he would make a mistake—whenever he would loose a shen-gong-wu.

Maybe he shouldn't have been so mean. After all, pissing Wuya off like this guaranteed Jack wouldn't get any info out of her. But…as he dodged a few more strikes and slipped out of her reach again he felt a thrill of exhilaration. He was fighting Wuya. One-on-one, no wu. And winning.

Even without her powers, Wuya wasn't nearly as laughable as Jack had made her out to be. Although he'd had fun mocking her, Wuya was actually pretty strong. Jack had felt a twinge of regret when Wuya had thrown him across the room. _I should've known better_, he'd thought, though he'd kept up his bravado. _Now she's gonna kill me_.

Yet now, Jack realized, far from killing him or even hurting him, Wuya was only displaying her weakness. Perhaps her attacks were random and unfocused because of her anger, or perhaps she was just out of practice. Jack wasn't sure why, but he knew that he suddenly had the upper hand against his former employer and oppressor.

Excitement rushed through Jack as Wuya paused her attack for a second, her shoulders rising and falling with her heavy breath. Wuya's typically perfect hair was disheveled and strands fell unnoticed in her face. Her green eyes were wild and her cheeks were flushed. Jack was struck suddenly by how weak Wuya looked. She'd always seemed so intimidating in her human form.

"Why won't you hold still, Jack?" Wuya's voice was horse, and Jack noticed again how similar it sounded to her ghostly screech. "You said my attacks didn't hurt, so what are you afraid of, boy?"

"Nothing at all, Wuya." Jack grinned with a slightly sadistic pleasure that he only felt a little bad about. "Just enjoying the new order, y'know? Don't see why you're getting so worked up. Just accept that you can't beat me and give it up."

Wuya clenched her fists and bared her teeth. "You must be joking. As though you could ever be a match for me." She visibly tried to calm herself down, reaching up and running her fingers through her hair. "I'm just not in top form at the moment, obviously."

Jack smirked. "Obviously." Although he knew he was one of the so-called good guys now, Jack couldn't help but enjoy Wuya's attempts to defend her poor performance. She sounded so familiar, Jack realized with a twinge of embarrassment. She reminded Jack of himself.

"I just got finished with a rigorous training session with Chase," Wuya said. "I'm tired out, that's all."

Wuya was making a beginner's mistake, Jack noted, by trying to add details to her lie. She had always been a fairly straightforward person. Wuya wasn't a trickster like Chase and Hannibal. _Or if she is_, Jack thought, _she's no good at it._ He almost smiled as he remembered Wuya screaming her plans aloud, always following them up with her distinctive evil laugh.

"Rigorous, huh? With Chase?" Jack scratched his chin. "Why does that sound familiar?" He tapped his fingers against the cast on his arm. "I have souvenirs from my last little 'training session' with that guy. If you were training with Chase I bet your face would be as ugly as mine."

Wuya held her glare steady, but Jack saw her eyes soften. "Well, Jack, I thought that you'd become smart enough not to make those idiotic comments anymore. Seems you really can't teach a fool new tricks."

"I meant because of the bruises." Jack rolled his eyes. If Wuya was trying to make him upset with comments like that she really must think that he hadn't changed. Jack realized that their roles had been almost reversed. She was trying to hit him with petty insults while he was moving on to stronger, more useful allies. He loved the satisfaction of feeling superior to Wuya at last. "Trust me, I wouldn't dare to compare our normal faces. You wouldn't even stand a chance." Jack chuckled. "Everyone knows what an ugly hag you are, Wuya."

The softness behind Wuya's eyes vanished, and she let out another snarl. "Watch it, boy, or I'll make you regret the day you found my puzzle box."

"Don't you think I already have?" Jack's smile dropped. Wuya _had_ managed to make him angry after all. But not in the way she'd wanted to. "What about all those times you abandoned me, huh? Always moved on to new lackeys at the first chance you got, didn't you, Wuya?" Jack felt his anger growing. His Xiaolin training told him to control his temper, but he shoved the urge aside. He had the power now, not Wuya. Old fury began to tear out of his chest.

"You think I never regretted meeting you?" Jack walked up to Wuya as he spoke, his voice unusually quiet. "You think I enjoyed being thrown away like that? Like I was just some tool for you to use? Always your last resort, wasn't I? And all those times you told me _I_ needed _you_? What a joke." Jack enjoyed the look of growing fear on Wuya's face. He thought he'd seen fear there earlier, before their fight, but now he was sure. Jack felt his face split into a cruel smirk. Wuya took a step backward, then another.

"I never needed you, Wuya. And you know it. You always knew it, didn't you? _You_ were the one who was helpless; you were _nothing_ without me." Wuya backed up into the wall and jumped slightly in surprise. Jack didn't stop when he saw Wuya flatten herself against the wall. He leaned up and grabbed the front of her shirt with his good hand. Another twinge of satisfaction ran through Jack as he felt Wuya flinch at his touch.

Although too blinded with rage to notice at that moment, Jack would later remember the strange, child-like terror on Wuya's face. He would remember the way she shrunk against the wall, like an animal trying to hide from a predator. Jack would later realize how strange Wuya's reaction was, but he neither noticed nor cared as his rage took control.

"But you could never see any value in me, could you? Even when you lowered yourself to work with me, you hated it. Thought I was worthless."

Despite her fear, Wuya seemed unable to remain silent. Jack expected her to defend herself, to try and calm him down. Instead, for what felt like the first time ever, she gave him the truth. "You _were_ worthless. The monks beat you over and over. I knew I'd never get anywhere with your help." Wuya's voice held a blend of anger, fear, and something Jack didn't recognize. She almost sounded apologetic. "You were useless. I had ambitions, Jack, and I wasn't going to let you ruin them."

Silence stretched between them for a moment as Jack felt his anger beginning to cool. Wuya was right, of course. He'd already known everything she'd said, but it still hurt to hear it out loud. The monks were always supportive, always praising his achievements, and rarely insulting him, even when he screwed up. He had forgotten how blunt Wuya could be. The fear was gone from her face as she watched his fury slip away.

Still, there was no way Jack was going to let their conversation end there. Maybe he _had_ been worthless, but he wasn't now. Time to show Wuya what she had missed out on.

Jack let go of her shirt and took a step back. "Yeah, well, congratulations, Wuya, you got away from me before I could ruin your ambitions." Jack grinned at her again as he forced a mocking tone. "Good thing you've got Chase around to do that for me, eh?"

* * *

><p>Omi dodged around the edge of a wall to avoid running into one of the older monks. He waited until the monk had passed, then hurried quietly toward the infirmary building. Although Omi didn't feel great about defying the older monks' orders, he figured that a quick check on Jack couldn't hurt. After all, it wasn't like he was going to start sparring with the injured boy.<p>

"Of course," Omi said to himself, "it is not as though Jack would be unable to train in this condition. Such injuries are merely scratches to a Xiaolin warrior. If _I_ were in his position _I_ would not even…but this is Jack I am speaking about." Omi couldn't count the number of excuses Jack had made in order to get out of his training.

As he approached the infirmary, Omi slowed his pace. "Jack is such a lazybones. Skipping out on training whenever the opportunity exposes itself to him. How could he be improving so rapidly?"

He stopped outside the infirmary door, frowning. The monks had been standing fairly close to the fight between Chase and Jack. Omi had seen the blood on Chase's mouth when Jack had hit him.

"How? How could Jack, who has been training here only months, land a strike on Chase Young? Especially when _I _was unable to even…" Omi stopped himself. Chase had underestimated Jack, that was all. Omi had proven himself to be a magnificent warrior, and Chase respected him for it. The Heylin master would never underestimate _him_. Omi nodded to himself and reached up to open the door. "Yes, of course. Jack still has much to learn before—"

The door shook with the sudden impact of something hitting the other side, cutting Omi off. Before he could open the door, Omi heard a quiet groan from the other side. The voice sounded like Jack's, and he sounded hurt.

Omi flung the door open and leapt into the room. "Prepare for a humiliating defeat, Chase Young! Only a coward attacks when…"

"Woah, Shorty. It's not Chase, calm down."

Omi looked over at Jack, who wasn't next to the door. He was leaning on a bedpost, clutching his side and breathing heavily. Omi could see the pain in his face as blood seeped through his bandages.

"Jack? But…who…" Omi turned back toward the door and saw Wuya collapsed in an unconscious heap. "Jack, how did you…" Omi looked around the room but didn't see anyone else. But that was impossible. "Did you defeat Wuya all by yourself?"

Jack spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't see anybody else here, do ya Cheddar-Head?"

Omi stared at Jack in disbelief. Wuya might have been without her powers, but she was no weakling. Jack should not have been able to defeat her. Especially not in his injured condition. Omi felt a familiar stab of jealousy. The boy he used to beat up for fun should not be approaching his level so quickly. Jack was supposed to be different than the others. He was not a chosen one.

Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo had adapted well to monk life. Even though they were used to much more luxurious lifestyles, they had made themselves comfortable and absorbed the monks' teachings with ease. Omi had been frustrated at first. How could these outsiders prove themselves to be his equals in ability as well as title? Eventually, however, he had accepted the friendly competition they provided. Omi was confident that he would prove himself to be the strongest of the group.

His heart sank as Raimundo's triumphant face suddenly burst into his head. Omi felt his stomach twist as he thought of Raimundo's black robes. Throughout their early training, Omi would have (and often had) found the idea of Raimundo, the most unfocused and unmotivated of the group, as the leader completely laughable. Now, of course, even Omi had to admit what a powerful warrior Raimundo had become.

"Hey, Omi? You still there?" Jack had let go of the bedpost and was making his way slowly toward Omi. His steps were wobbly, and he left a small trail of blood droplets. "Not having one of your delusions, are you?" Jack laughed weakly, then winced in pain.

"My friend, are you alright?" Omi leapt to Jack's side. "Stop, you must lay down at once."

"Nah, I'm fine. She barely touched me." Jack began to sway, his eyes clouding over. "Just tore open my…"

Omi caught his friend as he collapsed.

* * *

><p>Jack opened his eyes in a dimly lit room. He was sitting on the edge of a chair, his face and torso sprawled across a table. Jack sat up and a piece of paper lifted up from the table, stuck to his face. He pulled it off and recognized the handwriting and scribbles. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked around at his parents' basement. His lab.<p>

"Wha? Where…" Jack looked down at his hands and saw his black gloves. He was wearing one of his old tanks that he used to wear when he worked on his robots. The familiar weight of the heli-bot pressed on his back and shoulders as he reached up and touched his yellow goggles.

"What's going on here?" Jack looked around the silent lair, wondering briefly if he'd just had a three-month-long dream. He didn't feel any pain from his wounds, and his arm was completely healed. But although the lair was full of his old equipment and covered in the garbage of his favorite snacks, Jack knew that he was different. His steps were firm and he could see the muscle in his arms as he ran his hand over a lab table. Jack felt confident, unafraid as he explored his old basement.

The lair was exactly as Jack remembered, down to the scorch marks in the wall. Jack could recall where each one came from. Some were from the monks and their uncommon visits to his home (which rarely ended well for him). Wuya had actually caused a few of them with her various grandiose plots (which never ended well for him). But of course, the majority of the damage in the lair had been caused by his own blunders.

Jack touched the wall with a smile, realizing how much he missed his "evil lair." The temple would never feel like home the way this place did.

"Jackbots? Front and center!" Jack enjoyed the commanding tone in his voice. He also enjoyed knowing that he now had at least some ability to back his commands up. Defeating Wuya seemed to have given him a bit of a victory high, but he didn't mind too much.

What he did mind was that none of his bots had responded to his command. Jack looked around but couldn't find a sign of his old friends.

"They're not here, kid. It's just you and me."

Jack spun around. The voice's owner was walking down the stairway that led into the basement. At first, Jack thought the man descending into his lair was Omi from the future. He wore monk's clothes and his sharp black eyes seemed to look into Jack the way Omi's did in his rare moments of wisdom.

"Nah. You're too tall to be Omi. Who are you?" Jack relaxed his stance, sensing no danger from the strange man.

The monk rolled his eyes. "No respect around here, I swear. You'd think that the greatest Xiaolin warrior of all time would be a little more recognizable." He walked past Jack and leaned on a lab table. "It's Dashi. As in, Grand Master Dashi? Sound familiar?"

Jack recognized the name at once and remembered seeing a few images of the man in the ancient scrolls Omi always made him read. Dashi was Omi's hero. Really he was every Xiaolin monk's hero. He was the one who'd locked Wuya into her puzzle-box prison fifteen hundred years before Jack had accidentally released her.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Jack hadn't thought he was dreaming. Now, however, he was sure. Why would he dream about a long-dead Xiaolin master?

"Well, it is and it isn't." Dashi grinned, his eyes shining. Jack got the feeling the monk was enjoying himself.

"Oh yeah? Which is it?" Jack prompted when Dashi didn't continue. "Can't really be both, can it?"

"Actually it can, quite easily."

"Mind explaining it to me?"

"Now why would I do that? It's so much more fun to watch you try and figure it out on your own." Dashi's grin widened and Jack was reminded again, with a twinge of irritation, of Omi. _Bratty little know-it-all_, Jack thought. _This guy is just like him. No big deal, I know how to handle people like this._

"All right, whatever you say, Grand Master."

Jack walked over to his tool cabinet and started thumbing through the equipment inside, mumbling to himself about the different types of tools. He watched Dashi out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, the monk's smirk disappeared. Jack had learned quickly that while Omi seemed to have infinite patience for training and meditating, his tolerance for withholding information or waiting to receive information was virtually nonexistent.

"Okay kid, don't waste my time." Dashi crossed his arms and frowned. "It's much more valuable than yours, trust me."

Ignoring a second twinge of irritation, Jack turned back to face Dashi and shrugged. "Sure, you're the boss…er…the master." _Arrogant prick is sure to eat this stuff up. Just like Omi…_

Dashi eyed Jack for a moment, then surprised Jack by chuckling. "Well, Raimundo wasn't kidding. You are a clever kid, aren't you?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. Dashi's statement brought so many questions to Jack's mind that he had no idea what to ask first.

Dashi laughed again. "Okay, jeez, no need to strain yourself. You gotta learn to relax a bit, kid." He looked around at the filthy basement. "Looks like you used to have no problem with that. Xiaolin temple beat the fun out of life, has it?"

_Well, yeah_, Jack thought. _Get all the hardest chores, don't I? I don't think the others even _do_ chores any more._ When Jack didn't respond, Dashi continued. He leaned back on his hands as he spoke and looked down at the papers he was sitting on with mild interest.

"As you know, I am the greatest Xiaolin warrior who has ever lived. As you also know, I died fifteen hundred years ago. You are speaking to my spirit. My ghost, if you don't mind the term." Dashi picked up a piece of graph paper that had an almost-completed schematic for Jack's greatest creation of all time.

At least, that's what Jack had intended. He'd never finished designing it because he'd had to pack his lab up in preparation for moving away to college. The real schematics were sitting at the bottom of a bag in his room at the temple, though Jack had never seriously intended to take them out and finish them up.

"I have been given the privilege of hanging around, not passing on to the enigmatic afterlife, in order to help wayward young Xiaolin warriors find their way in the world." Dashi dropped the paper onto the floor and gave Jack a sarcastic smile. "Don't you feel special?"

Jack didn't have trouble believing Dashi's ridiculous story—mainly because it wasn't all that ridiculous. Especially compared to some of the insane events he'd been through since he'd first opened Wuya's puzzle box. There was one part of the story that Jack couldn't believe, however. The part that involved him.

"Dashi, hey, not that I don't appreciate the…eh…thought. But are you sure you're not looking for some other Xiaolin loser? Like Omi or someone? I'm not even technically a Xiaolin warrior yet, so…" Multiple times in the past, Jack had allowed himself to be suckered into the belief that he was destined for some great future or had been given some amazing power. Scenarios like those never played out well.

"Excuse me?" Dashi shot Jack a glare. "I do not make mistakes. It's not like this is my idea of a fun time, kid. I'm only doing this because Raimundo asked me to."

"Really? That guy must hate me more than I thought." Jack kept his tone casual, trying to act like the news didn't faze him. Secretly, though, his old curiosities about Rai jumped back into the front of his mind. "He didn't happen to let you know why, did he?"

Dashi grinned again. "Actually, yes. I know all about his interest in you. He said you'd probably ask me about that. But I don't think I should just give you that information." He chuckled. "Maybe you should do something for yourself for once, hm?"

Indignation rose in Jack and he opened his mouth to protest. To tell the old monk that he'd done everything for himself for his whole life. To tell him to shut up, that he didn't know what he was talking about.

But suddenly, Dashi leapt up to his feet, his eyes wide with shock. Jack didn't have time to question the monk before Dashi's face contorted with fury. He clenched his fists and his eyes narrowed into sharp slits. Then he turned on Jack.

"Go, young monk. Your friend needs you now. Save him." Although Dashi didn't raise his voice, Jack could feel the monk's anger in every word. The urgency in Dashi's tone terrified Jack, and he found himself nodding as the basement dimmed around him.

"Wait," said Jack as Dashi disappeared from his sight. "What should I do?"

* * *

><p>Jack's eyes snapped open and he sat up so quickly that he almost ran into Kimiko, who was leaning over his bed and covering him with a blanket.<p>

"Whoa! Jack, it's okay, calm down." Kimiko put her hands on Jack's shoulders and tried to push him gently back down as Omi and Clay hurried over to the other side of the bed.

"Where's Raimundo?" Jack looked around the room, his stomach twisting with fear. His thoughts were racing but too jumbled to make sense of. Raimundo was in trouble. He needed them. Where was he? Training? He said he was going to train. Alone.

"He has not yet returned from his meditation," said Omi. "Why do you ask?"

"You've only been out for a few minutes," said Kimiko. "Omi just called us in. We haven't even taken care of Wuya yet." She motioned to Wuya's unconscious form by the door.

"Raimundo's in trouble." Jack grabbed Kimiko's wrist with his good hand and pushed her off him as he stood up. He didn't have time to notice how easy it was to force her away. "C'mon, we gotta go."

"Whoa there, partner." Clay put a hand on Jack's shoulder to stop him. "We haven't even gotten your wounds re-bandaged. You're not going nowhere until you're at least fixed up."

"There's no time!" The sudden anger in his voice surprised even Jack as he pushed Clay's hand away. _Why won't they just listen to me? Just trust me?_

"What's wrong, Jack?" Kimiko looked up at him. "I'm sure it was just a dream. Clay's right. You're not going anywhere."

Jack looked around at the monks in desperation. He knew Raimundo probably didn't have time to wait for lengthy explanations. The urgency in Dashi's voice rang in Jack's head, and he felt his panic rising, threatening to take control.

Suddenly, Jack realized that Wuya had the one shen-gong-wu that could help him. He shoved past Kimiko and dove for Wuya's body. Jack barely noticed that the monks had laid her comfortably out of the way as he pulled the wu out of her clothes.

"Golden Tiger Claws," Jack shouted as he shoved the wu onto his good hand. Ignoring the monk's protests, he swiped the air with the claws and leapt through the portal. Adrenaline made the seconds he spent passing through the portal seem to last forever. The others were too far away to follow him. They'd have to go get Dojo and come the long way. Maybe he'd be able to help Raimundo until they arrived. Jack had a good idea of what Rai was in danger from, and he'd just proven his own inability to handle Chase Young.

Jack burst from the portal onto the mountaintop. He slid barefoot across the icy ground, barely keeping his balance.

"Well, well, what a surprise this is." Chase's voice was as cold as the ground. Jack spun around to face him and felt his stomach twist again, this time with repulsion. Chase was gripping Raimundo by the front of his shredded robes. The monk's body hung limp, soaked in blood. "Here," he said with a smirk, "catch."

Chase flung Raimundo across the ice. Jack jumped forward, but Raimundo's body hit the ground and slid a few feet, leaving a bloody trail. Raimundo's wounds made Jack's look like scratches. Chunks of bone protruded from one arm and both legs. His face looked like raw hamburger, and his whole body was twisted around at a grotesque angle. Jack could tell that his spine was broken.

One of Chase's jungle cats reached Raimundo's body just before Jack. The animal crouched down and bared its teeth, but Jack threw his weight and momentum into a punch to the side of the cat's head. Dazed, the cat took a step back, unprepared as Jack's foot connected with its jaw. The animal began to back away, but a cold fury had gripped Jack. With a wordless shout he delivered another kick to the animal's head, this time knocking it into the ground. The cat didn't get up.

Jack turned to face Chase as he approached, more jungle cats prowling at his side. The Heylin warrior was not untouched, Jack noticed, to Raimundo's credit. He walked with a slight limp, and one arm hung loosely at his side. Chase's armor was in tatters, and his face looked almost as beaten as his opponent's.

As he took a defensive stance between the advancing warrior and his friend's body, Jack felt his sudden fury drain as quickly as it had taken hold. Terror replaced his anger, and he was unable to stop his eyes from drifting to Chase's bloodied fists. Jack's fight with Wuya, and the confidence it had inspired, seemed to exist only in another life. How could he have ever been afraid of Wuya? What was she compared to the monster before him?

"Come to help your little friend, worm?" Chase's laughter echoed off the cliffs. "You're far too late."

Jack clenched both fists tighter to stop them from trembling. His eyes shot down to Raimundo's still form, knowing he was looking at his own fate. Although he was completely horrified, Jack was surprised to realize that he didn't regret coming to help his friend. Raimundo had wanted him. Seen something in him when no one else had. Raimundo had believed in him, even if it was just a little. Raimundo was his friend.

"I told him he would pay." Jack could hear the twisted amusement in Chase's voice. He wondered vaguely if his own voice had ever sounded like that. Surely not. He had never been as successful at evil as Chase Young. "He was a fool to oppose me. For his mistakes he deserves to die."

_Stall him_, Jack thought. _The others are on their way. I hope._ "Sure, Chase, sure. You did this because he opposed you, huh? Because he got in your way? Jack forced a laugh through clenched teeth. "You're really pathetic, you know that? Can't handle the idea that someone might be stronger than you, huh?" _Oh, yeah, real smart, Jack. Egg him on. Piss him off even more, that'll really stall for time._

Chase's lip curled into a sneer. "I've just proven who is stronger, Spicer. In case you couldn't tell, it wasn't him."

"Had to sneak up on him while he was alone, didn't you?" Jack's voice rose in volume and in pitch as Chase approached striking distance. "You're nothing but a sneaking coward, Chase. I can't believe I ever looked up to you."

"I can see you wish to join your pathetic friend, insect." The smile disappeared from Chase's face, and he narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry, I am perfectly willing to—"

As his opponent stepped into range, Jack leapt forward, using the icy ground to his advantage. Chase blocked his attack, but was pushed back a few feet.

"Step aside, fool, and I may allow you to live for the remainder of the day."

Jack aimed another blow, this time at Chase's face. The Heylin warrior easily blocked again, this time with a counter attack.

A spiked boot hit Jack on the side, tearing open his bandages and wound. Jack bit back a scream as he almost dropped to the ground. He stumbled back a few feet and crouched over Raimundo's body. As he looked down, Jack realized that Raimundo was awake. The monk was breathing heavily and looking up at Jack. His lips moved silently.

"It's alright, Rai, you're gonna be fine, don't worry, just stay still, just wait, it's gonna be okay…" Jack's words came out jumbled and slurred together. He bit back assurance that the others were on their way, worried that Chase might decide to speed up his attack.

Raimundo suddenly reached up and grabbed the front of Jack's shirt. His grip was weak as he pulled Jack's face inches from his own. The beaten monk spoke in a feeble whisper that Jack was fairly sure he misheard.

"You're the man…Jack…kick his…pansy…you can—" Raimundo's voice was cut off as Chase's boot caught Jack in the side again, flinging him into the air. Jack smashed into the ice a few feet away. He was able to avoid hitting his broken arm, but didn't quite manage to land on his feet. On his knees, Jack pushed himself up to look at Chase, who was lifting a foot over Raimundo's head. Panic gripped Jack again as his vision began to blur.

"Well, doesn't this look familiar." Chase tilted his head with a smirk in Jack's direction. "Too bad you aren't strong enough to repay your debt, Spicer."

"Get away from him!" Jack's scream ripped unbidden from his mouth. Chase looked startled and even lowered his foot slightly. _This is my chance_, thought Jack. _While he's distracted! He's unsuspecting! Now!_ But his legs wouldn't move. Jack's whole body felt like ice. His energy was suddenly draining away.

Jack fell to his knees, his vision darkening. He could barely hear Chase's laughter; the warrior seemed so far away. _I really am worthless. Wuya was right. _Jack felt his rasping breath catch in his throat, transforming into a harsh sob. _Can't do anything on my own. Nothing but a failure. Useless…pathetic…_

Although Jack couldn't make out Chase's victory speech, Omi's furious voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Kaijing Chan! Shimo Staff!" Jack looked up in time to see Chase knocked off his feet and into the side of the mountain with such force that it shattered the ice and rock. Kimiko and Clay landed on either side of Raimundo, each holding their elemental shen-gong-wu and Wudai weapon.

Among his overwhelming relief, Jack felt an inane stab of jealousy. _Maybe if I had a cool weapon like that then I wouldn't be such a loser._ Jack collapsed on the ground, the last of his energy deserting him at last.

(Thanks so much for reading everyone! Sorry it took so long for the update, my coworker had to go to China for a family emergency. Been working a lot. Chapter 5 will be up in less than a week, I promise! Thanks for sticking with me! 3 Sorry to anyone who thinks my rewrites aren't very different from the originals. The difference is pretty significant to me, so thanks for reading anyways. I'll get to some new new chapters soon, promise!)


	5. Sound The Bugle

Chapter 5 – Sound The Bugle

_"Hey, hey Wuya! You awake yet?" The boy's voice came from just outside the curtain that separated Wuya's tiny room from the hallway. She had been sleeping, but Dashi's spontaneous visit snapped her awake. Wuya had been at the temple for less than a week, but Dashi managed to pursue her everywhere she went._

_Even though Wuya hadn't spoken to Dashi yet, she completely avoided him. The longest period of time she'd spent with him was when his father had introduced them. The old monk hadn't been joking. Dashi was a nice kid. And he did want her companionship. _

_Wuya was thrilled to have a place to live and people that actually wanted her to live there. Dashi's father and the other monks made her feel welcome. But Dashi made her feel more than welcome. He followed her everywhere. He invited her to do everything with him. Dashi's attention was like a limitless fountain, and Wuya soaked it up desperately. She was sure that her incredible luck would run out at any moment. Sure that Dashi would touch her or speak to her and suddenly realize how much he despised and feared her. _

_So Wuya completely avoided speaking to or even spending time directly with Dashi. She worried, of course, that he would lose interest. But that wouldn't be as bad as having to see that familiar revulsion on his face. _

"_Hey, Wuya? Hello? I was wondering if you wanted to come train with me today? You don't have to train, if you don't want to. You could just watch me." Wuya gave a tiny shiver of delight as she rolled silently off the mat she slept on. Cheek against the floor, she peeked under the curtain at Dashi's bare feet. _

_Dashi leaned his weight from foot to foot, restlessly shuffling around outside the room. Wuya didn't understand where he got his energy. The boy seemed to be unable to stand still. Even during meditation hours, when his father and the other monks forced him to sit and focus, he fidgeted, anxious to be released from his silent prison. _

_Meditation hours were Wuya's favorite time in the temple. She could roam as she pleased, exploring the buildings without fearing she would run into any of the monks. More and more, however, she found herself watching the monks as they sat, still and silent, in the courtyard. Her favorite person to watch was Dashi._

"_Or if you wanted to train, too, I could teach you some things. It'd be a lot of fun. I'm sure you'd like it. C'mon, please?" _

_Wuya grinned. Dashi had been trying to get her to train with him since his father had first introduced them. Dashi was the only kid at the temple, and Wuya was pretty sure he wanted someone to be his apprentice. She'd known him less than a week, but his desire to show off was already overwhelmingly obvious. _

"_Are you even awake in there?" _

As though I could sleep with all the racket you're making,_ thought Wuya as she rolled back onto the mat and closed her eyes. _

"_Hey, are you okay? Wuya? I'm coming in." Dashi had never entered her room. His father had told him to respect Wuya's privacy and not bother her without her permission. But that didn't stop him from peeking into her room every morning when he thought she was asleep._

_The curtain slid aside quietly. Wuya's urge to open her eyes and see Dashi's expression was almost overpowering, as usual. He held his breath while the curtain was open, apparently worried any sound might wake her up. Wuya wanted to laugh at the ridiculous thought. As though the curtain was some kind of sound barrier. When it was closed, he could shout without disturbing her; when it was open, the smallest noise would jolt her awake. _

_After a moment, Dashi dropped the curtain. "Okay. Well…I guess you wanna sleep, so…I'll come back later." Wuya rolled back over quickly to watch Dashi's feet disappear from view as he ran off down the hall. She peeked out of the curtain just in time to see him round the corner and vanish. _

_With another giddy smile, Wuya replaced her long pajama dress with the comfortable white robe the monks had given her. She glanced out to make sure the hallway was empty, then ran through the building and outside to the training grounds. _

_As always, Wuya was careful to avoid being seen as she watched Dashi and the older monks from the shadows. She loved watching the monks train. The way they moved reminded her of a dance. But instead looking beautiful and fragile like the dancers Wuya had seen in the past, they were graceful and powerful. She wondered how they managed to appear both peaceful and dangerous at the same time._

_Dashi was her favorite. The boy was so small, not much bigger than her. He didn't look like much normally, but when he was training he seemed so strong. Dashi's face completely changed while he worked on his fighting skills. Like the other monks, he looked calm, focused, controlled. _

"_You may learn, if you like. I'm sure the monks would very much enjoy your company." _

_The voice surprised Wuya, but she recognized the loving tone immediately. She looked up and saw Dashi's father leaning on the wall in the shadows next to her. He smiled down, and again she felt warmth radiating from him. Unconsciously, Wuya leaned a little closer to the old monk. _

_Wuya glanced back toward Dashi. _Crazy old man, what are you thinking? It's one thing for Dashi to ask me to learn fighting, but I thought you had more sense than that._ She fixed her eyes on the ground and shook her head._

_The monk laughed tenderly. "And why not, Wuya dear?" He knelt down to her height and tried to look into her face, but she continued to avoid his eyes. "I know Dashi would love a training companion his own age."_

_Glancing into his eyes for a moment, Wuya leaned closer. "You mean a lackey." Her voice was hardly a whisper, but, as always, Dashi's father had no trouble hearing her. Wuya was both proud and horrified that she had started talking to the monk on what she considered to be a fairly regular basis. Unlike in the past, when she would go months without hearing her own voice, she now exercised it at least once a day. Sometimes more._

"_I mean a friend. Though I would never deny that he wishes to impress you." He smiled over at his son. "The boy has quite an ego. I have no idea where he gets it."_

_They watched the monks training for a few minutes together in silence. Wuya's tiny smile didn't accurately display how happy his company made her. The whole temple made her happy, really. The monks there weren't afraid of her, though she still stayed out of their way by force of habit. Dashi's attention thrilled and flattered her, though she was sure she'd never have the courage to stand and speak to him._

"_You know, I have reason to believe you could be a great warrior one day."_

_Wuya glanced over at him quizzically. Her, a warrior? Like Dashi? _

"_I am completely serious. Unfortunately, I cannot give you all of the information right now. But I am sure that, should you decide to train here with us, you will soon need our protection no longer."_

_He reached out and placed a hand on Wuya's head. She looked up at him, eyes wide. Wuya was becoming more and more convinced that the man had mind-reading abilities. How did he always seem to know every one of her desires?_

_"Of course, training here will not be easy. But I know you are no stranger to hard work." The monk stood up. "I will allow you to think on it. Please excuse me." He looked over at Dashi and the other monks again. "My son's poor form is embarrassing me."_

_Wuya watched him cross the field and scold Dashi, whose cheeks turned slightly pink. The older monk demonstrated the correct form to his son. Dashi began to imitate the movements, but seemed irritated and distracted._

Impossible. There's no way I could learn to do all that_, thought Wuya. _The monks…and Dashi, they're so…strong. Could I really be like them? _The idea of being strong enough to protect herself thrilled Wuya more than she wanted to admit. _

_Dashi's father smiled and, to Wuya's horror, motioned in her direction. _Traitor_, Wuya thought as she tried to blend into the wall. Dashi's face went from slightly pink to brilliant scarlet as he straightened his back and tried the forms again, this time performing every move to perfection._

* * *

><p>Wuya awoke in a small basement room. Both the door and tiny window had bars on them, and she could see outside onto the moonlit grounds of the Xiaolin temple. The room apparently wasn't used much; cobwebs had built up in every corner. There was a small bed on one wall and a plate of food was sitting on the ground next to the door. <em>Some sort of prison? <em>She took in her surroundings distractedly, her mind still on her dream. _So now I'm not only living at a Xiaolin temple with my mortal enemy, but training with him as well? _Although her young self had not yet committed to training as a monk, her desire to do so was so strong that Wuya could still feel it tugging at her chest.

Pushing the feeling away, Wuya sat up and eyed the door. _These monks think they can lock me up? What a bunch of fools. _She got up off the bed and approached the door, planning to kick it off its hinges.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." Clay's southern drawl was muffled but easily recognizable from the other side of the door. "I might let you past; I ain't feeling too gracious at the moment. You're not gonna enjoy running into Kimiko right now. She's in an awful bad temper."

"Oh is she?" Wuya sneered. "Why? Does she care so much for little Jacky?" At her own mention of Jack's name, their fight came crashing back to her. Fury rose in her chest again. _That worthless, pathetic insect! How dare he raise a hand against me?_

"Figured I should come keep an eye on you in case you woke up. Though I doubt you'll be getting out of there anytime soon."

"You think so, monk?" Wuya's voice trembled. She put a hand on the door, trying to see how hard it would be to break, but suddenly realized there was something on the other side. It was rock. A huge boulder was placed over the door, preventing her from breaking it down. _How could I tell that? _She flattened her hand over the door and could almost feel the cold stone behind it. For some reason, the feeling of the rock had a strange, comforting effect.

"Yeah, I do think so. Go ahead and try to break out, it ain't gonna happen. And I think you should give up hoping for a rescue mission. You've been down here more than long enough for Chase to realize you were gone." Clay's tone seemed much more cruel than usual. "No use looking for help from that…well, anyway. We're just keeping you here 'till we decide what to do with you."

Wuya wanted to scream at him, to make him pay for acting like he could control her. Like her fate was in their hands. She pulled her hand away from the wall and bit her tongue. _No need to lose my temper_, she thought.

"Where is Jack?" Wuya forced a casual tone as she sat back down on the bed. "I would love the chance to speak with him. Send him down, won't you?"

"I figured you'd had your fill of talking to Jack. Seems to me he's had his fill of you."

Again, the urge to scream and beat down the door threatened to take control. "Just send him down here, monk." Under her breath, she added, "I'm going to kill him."

* * *

><p>Jack opened his eyes and found himself laying back on his lab table in the lair. For some reason, even though he knew he was asleep, Jack still felt exhausted. He closed his eyes again, trying to block the lab and the memory of his failure out of his mind.<p>

"Well done, young monk." Dashi's voice interrupted his unpleasant flashbacks to the fight.

"What?" Jack lifted his head up off the table and sat straight up, staring at Dashi. The monk was sitting cross-legged on one of the other tables. "'Well done'? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your fight with Chase, kid. The one you just had? Remember Raimundo?"

"Shut up." Jack meant to shout, but he still felt drained, unable to even raise his voice. "How did I do well? Didn't you see Raimundo? He's…"

"Well I didn't see him, but I do know he's alive. You saved his life, Jack." Dashi's tone was relaxed, but Jack could tell that the monk's laid-back attitude was somewhat forced. "That's what I sent you to do. Did you expect to defeat Chase all on your own?"

Jack was getting sick of everyone asking the same question. His irritation rose as Dashi began to lecture him about knowing his own limitations. As Jack's anger grew, he felt his strength return.

"Shut up!" This time, Jack's voice exploded through the basement as he leapt to his feet, chair crashing to the ground. "Yes! I _did_ want to beat him! That asshole needs to be put in his place! Thinks he can just do whatever he feels like just because the monks let him get away with everything! Just because Omi has a stupid crush on him and Raimundo's too nice to know when your enemy needs to die!"

Dashi didn't look surprised at Jack's outburst, just annoyed at being interrupted. He started to respond, but Jack launched back into his tirade. He paced around the lab and flung his arms into the air as he continued his rant.

"How dumb do you have to be to let a guy like that run around and do whatever he wants? I mean, come on! Raimundo is a horrible leader! He's too weak! He's pathetic! Doesn't have any idea how to handle real evil! You can't just forgive and forget! I figured he'd be smart enough to know that. It's probably Omi's influence. That arrogant little brat thinks he's—"

"Okay, calm down." Dashi interrupted, grabbing Jack by his shoulders and shaking him gently. "This isn't helping, Jack. I understand you're upset, but you need to calm down."

Dashi was right, though there was no way Jack would agree with him out loud. Anyway, Jack knew he was just trying to push his own failures off onto others. _Old habits die hard, I guess_. It wasn't Raimundo's fault for failing to stop Chase earlier or Omi's fault for refusing to accept the level of danger Chase presented.

"It's my fault." Jack's shoulders slumped, and he felt tears sting his eyes. If he hadn't demanded to fight Chase alone. If Raimundo hadn't had to come to his rescue. If he had gotten there sooner. If he had been stronger. "It's my fault."

Dashi didn't respond, didn't say a word while Jack wiped his eyes and tried to calm himself down. The monk's silence scared Jack. He'd expected denial, an attempt to assure him that he was being stupid. Jack had prepared a speech. Made a list of all the ways in which he was to blame for Raimundo's injuries. But Dashi didn't protest. Didn't refute Jack's claim. Finally, Jack looked up. Forced himself to meet Dashi's eyes.

The monk leaned closer to Jack, making sure he couldn't look away. "No one but yourself has the right or the responsibility to absolve you of your supposed guilt. I have suffered under the weight of my own responsibilities and burdens, some for good reason, others for no reason at all. I know better than most that only you can forgive yourself of the blame you have taken on."

The response surprised Jack. For the first time, he thought he saw a peek of the great master this man had been. Dashi's words calmed him, though he wasn't sure why. Jack let out a heavy sigh and slumped back into his work chair.

Dashi's cheerful attitude reappeared instantaneously. "Like I said, you succeeded in saving Raimundo's life. That's all that matters right now. We can deal with everything else in the future, alright?"

Reluctantly, Jack nodded.

"Good. Now, weren't you wondering about something before we were interrupted?"

Even though the conversation seemed so long ago, Jack remembered his old questions. Remembered Dashi's enigmatic comments about Raimundo's motivations.

"Why is Raimundo so interested in me?" Jack didn't feel like trying to act casual or skirt around the topic. "What is his problem? How many times do I need to prove my worthlessness in front of him before he snaps back to reality?"

_Too bad he's never around when I happen to win a fight,_ thought Jack. _Why couldn't I have fought Chase in private and Wuya in front of the others?_

Dashi startled Jack by voicing his silent opinion. "Wishing Rai had been around to see that butt-kicking you gave Wuya? I don't blame ya, though you were a little rough with her. Was that really necessary?"

"She's not that fragile." Jack rolled his eyes. "And not like you can talk anyways, can you? All I did was knock her out, not trap her in a tiny prison for fifteen hundred years."

Dashi's expression clouded. "Not the point. The point is, you want to know why Rai has been taking such good care of you." Jack noted Dashi's clumsy avoidance of the topic. "Pretty risky stuff, inviting someone who's proven himself untrustworthy back into your home. I don't think even Omi would be that stupid without a good reason."

Jack motioned for Dashi to continue. _Jerk likes toying with me. Him and Raimundo are both the same… _Raimundo's quiet words of encouragement slipped back into Jack's mind. _Was that his idea of a joke?_

"Like I said, I think it would be best to let you figure some of this out on your own. So I'll give you a hint. Everything you want to know is in the library at the temple. That's where Raimundo's interest in you first started."

The monk held out a hand to stop Jack's questions. "Sorry, that's all you get. Like I said, can't expect us to do everything, can you?" Dashi grinned and shrugged. "Other than that, I suppose I could help you out with some basic training. That is, if you have indeed decided to become a Xiaolin monk. Unfortunately, I just couldn't bring myself to help anyone who intends on doing evil in their future."

Master Fung's offer popped back into Jack's head. Again, the conversation seemed so long ago. He could hardly believe the old man's offer. _Wonder if it still stands? Fung might change his mind in light of recent events._ Jack ran his fingers through his hair and accidentally knocked off his goggles.

"Forgot about these…" Jack picked them up and ran his fingers over the yellow lenses. "Haven't worn them in a while, huh?"

"_Why do you even wear those stupid things?"_ Wuya's ghostly voice rose from his memory. Jack had been repairing his goggles (for what felt like the thousandth time) after another failed showdown. _"It's not like they assist you in your showdowns! All they do is get in the way! They don't even protect your eyes, not that you ever use them while looking for shen-gong-wu!"_

Wuya had already commented, quite colorfully, on the quality and usefulness of his robots. Jack had been verbally abused for his worthlessness as an inventor and a warrior. Wuya had exhausted her list of Jack's mistakes and personality traits as she berated him. So she had moved on, as she always did, to nitpick at his habits and style of dress.

_"Blah, blah, blah. Keep yammering away, Wuya. Y'know I was thinking about inventing a device that allowed me to tune out just your voice? I think it would be my greatest creation yet."_

"_Perhaps if you listened to me a little more you wouldn't lose every shen-gong-wu that _I_ located for you!"_

"_Doubtful. Anyways, don't diss the goggles. They have…er…countless uses that your tiny ghostly brain couldn't hope to comprehend. And they make me look cool."_ Jack remembered snapping the goggles onto his head and flashing a grin at Wuya. _"Eh? Don'tcha think so?"_

"_I think you look like an idiot. What else is new."_

Jack had lied, of course. The goggles served absolutely no purpose. But he had liked them. He still did.

"I want to become strong." Jack looked up at Dashi, who was watching patiently. "I don't want Raimundo or anyone else to have to protect me. I don't want Chase pushing me around. I want to prove…that I'm not useless. And I don't want to be afraid anymore." He paused, noticing Dashi's small smile. The expression was different than any he'd seen on the monk's face before. But Dashi didn't speak, so Jack continued.

"I'll become a monk, if that's what it takes. The whole 'endless battle of good versus evil' thing doesn't really do it for me, but I'll do it. I'm not sure how suited I am to monk life, but I'll get used to it. Raimundo believes in me." Jack still wasn't sure he'd heard Rai correctly during the fight. "Even Wuya sees something in me now." Jack reminded himself that he still had no idea why Wuya had come to see him.

"All that's left is to believe in myself." Jack grinned. "I'm a master at blind faith in my own abilities, y'know."

Dashi laughed. "That will certainly help." He clapped Jack on the shoulder. "Well said, young monk. Raimundo was wise to see your very deeply hidden potential."

"Hey, watch it."

"You will certainly be a great warrior one day, Jack Spicer." Dashi's smile seemed to light the room. It certainly lifted Jack's mood. He felt energy surge back through him and couldn't help but grin back. "I am proud to be able to help you on your journey."

"Uh, thanks." Jack suddenly felt a little embarrassed. _I mean, this guy is a pretty important Xiaolin master, huh?_ "So, when can we get started?"

Dashi's grin widened and took on a slightly malicious twinge. "Why, right now, young monk. Lesson number one: Trust and love your friends and allies. But always be prepared for an attack."

Jack suddenly found himself falling face-first toward the ground, his feet knocked out from under him.

* * *

><p>Omi sat in the infirmary between his two injured friends. Kimiko and Clay were sleeping in their rooms. The three young monks had devised a sleep schedule that kept one of them on watch at all times in case Raimundo or Jack woke up. Omi had offered to take the first shift, knowing that he would be unable to sleep. The others agreed, though Omi was fairly sure they were lying awake as well.<p>

Chase's smirking face kept springing into Omi's mind. The Heylin warrior's vicious laughter and cruel taunts ran through Omi's head over and over. Bits of the monk's return to the temple after the fight played out again in his memory.

"_Why are you so surprised, Omi?" Kimiko should have been angry as she supported Raimundo's head in her lap, but her voice held a tone of despair that Omi had never heard there before. "Chase is evil. We've always known that."_

"_But…I…" Omi couldn't find words. Couldn't look at the tears on Kimiko's face. "I just thought that he…"_

"_You thought wrong, partner." Clay's voice was unusually harsh. "We all did."_

Omi felt fury building within him. He was angry with Chase, but he was also angry with himself. _How could I have been so foolish? How could I have thought there was still good in Chase Young?_

Movement from Jack's bed drew Omi's attention back to the infirmary. He hurried over to the side of the bed as Jack opened his eyes. The redheaded boy winced, then looked up at the young monk.

"Raimundo?"

Although Omi knew what Jack meant, he tried to avoid the topic. "Oh, poor Jack, you must be delusional. It is I, Omi. Not Raimundo." He smiled, but both his words and his expression felt forced and phony, even to him.

Surprisingly, Jack gave an amused but tired smile. "You know what I meant, Chrome-Dome." The injured boy sat up with visible effort. "How is he? Is he awake yet?"

Panic rose in Omi's chest, though he wasn't sure why. I have nothing to fear, Omi said to himself. I am merely a messenger. It isn't like I am at fault.

"Raimundo is…he is still asleep. The monks said is out of mortal danger, but…" He paused, and Jack eyed him expectantly. "His spine was broken. He is paralyzed from the waist down." Omi dropped his gaze to the ground. "They said he will be unable to recover."

Jack was silent, his face a stoic mask. Again, Omi was surprised by Jack's reaction. Both Kimiko and Clay had been unable to hold back tears when the monks had revealed the news. Omi had expected Jack, by far the most emotional of the group, to respond in a similar manner.

Omi, of course, had kept himself calm in front of the monks. A true warrior must be in control of himself at all times. Even once he was alone, Omi refused to confront his own feelings about Raimundo's situation. _I must focus on the task at hand_, Omi thought. _I must watch over Raimundo and Jack. What if Chase decides to come back? _

So he forced down his feelings of grief. Fought back the urge to collapse, sobbing, on the ground. Pushed away the anger that tore at his insides. Ignored his deep relief. Refused to acknowledge the part of him that enjoyed knowing that he was the best once more. The strongest of the four.

"I…I see. How did the others react?"

"Not well." Omi's heart sunk deeper as he thought of his friends, alone in their rooms. "Kimiko was very angry. She lit the grounds on fire. Clay…well…he actually didn't say much. Just sat by himself for a while."

"Raimundo…he hasn't woken up yet?" Jack seemed anxious, and Omi understood why. Raimundo would certainly be heartbroken by the news. He had loved soccer and surfing more than anything. How would he react knowing that not only had he lost the best of his abilities as a Xiaolin monk, but would also be deprived of his favorite activities as well?

"No. The monks said he could be unconscious for a while."

After a few more moments of silence, Jack met Omi's eyes again. "Could you go get Master Fung for me, Omi? I need to talk to him."

The little monk nodded. "What do you need to speak with him about?"

Jack smiled, and Omi saw determination in his face. "I've decided to train under him and become a monk. I don't want you guys protecting me anymore."

The weight on Omi's heart lifted somewhat. "This is wondrous news, my friend!" He reached up and took Jack's hand, deciding it would be best if he didn't leap onto the bed. "I could not be more pleased! I will inform the others at once!"

"Thanks Omi. And…thanks for believing in me."

* * *

><p>"<em>Okay, Wuya, I've got it all figured out this time. I know the Fountain of Youth was a dead end, but look at this. Wuya? Hey, are you sleeping?"<em>

_Wuya opened her eyes and squinted in the light. The sun shone down from directly above the courtyard. _Is it mid-day already?_ Wuya sat up and looked at Dashi, whose arms were full of scrolls and papers. Glancing behind her fellow monk, Wuya saw discarded papers littering his pathway back into the temple library. _

_"So, look at this." Dashi dropped down next to her and spread one scroll open on the ground. "It's a map, see?"_

_Resisting the urge to shake her head and sigh, Wuya humored Dashi by looking down at the scroll. She had been training at the temple for a few years, and she knew how sensitive he could get if she pointed out the flaws in his plans too quickly. While he motioned to the map and explained his latest theory, Wuya kept glancing up at his excited face._

_For some reason, Dashi was obsessed with finding immortality. Wuya thought that he was far too young to be afraid of death. When she spoke to Dashi's father about it, however, the old monk assured her that his son had good reason for his actions. He wouldn't expand on what those reasons were, of course. "I'm sure Dashi will tell you himself, once he feels he is ready."_

_After confronting Dashi once about the topic, Wuya had decided it would indeed be best to wait until he was ready. The young monk had avoided the topic awkwardly and then acted depressed for days. Wuya hated seeing Dashi upset. His smile, she had learned, had an effect similar to his father's. She always felt her worries dissolve when he turned his bright eyes on her. _

"_Enjoying the sun, I see." Wuya and Dashi looked up to see Dashi's father approaching from the temple's entrance. Behind him walked two boys about their age. Both were looking around at the temple with excitement. Dashi leapt to his feet, glancing around at the scattered papers._

"_Uh…well…we were just…uh…we'll clean it up, master."_

_The old monk laughed as Wuya stood up next to Dashi. "Be sure that you do, my son." He motioned for the two boys to come forward. One had short black hair and gentle brown eyes. The other had his black hair in a tight braid that fell all the way to the middle of his back. _

"_These are the newcomers I told you about, my children. They have been training in preparation to come here and study under myself and the other monks."_

_Wuya slipped closer to Dashi. Over the last few years she had grown much braver. She spoke regularly to Dashi and his father, and she no longer snuck around the temple. However, her old fears always resurfaced when she met new people._

"_As I said yesterday, Dashi, Wuya, I have very important news for you. It involves these two boys, as well." He beamed down at them, and Wuya felt some of her apprehension melt away. "The four of you have been chosen by the masters of the Xiaolin temple to become the dragons of the four elements."_

_While Dashi jumped into the air excitedly, Wuya felt fear grip her again. _No. There must be some mistake. _The two new boys stood up straighter and grinned (though they were obviously trying to keep their composure, unlike Dashi). _I've been training to defend myself, but this…if I'm to be a dragon…there's no way I'll ever be good enough._ Wuya knew that the four dragons weren't just ordinary monks. Their job, their purpose in life, was to protect the world from evil. _

I can't even protect myself_. Wuya looked up at Dashi's father, wanting to protest, but Dashi suddenly wrapped his arms around her and lifted her into the air. _

"_Isn't this amazing, Wuya? I always knew we were destined for greatness!" He squeezed her up to his chest and buried his face in her hair. "I knew we could do it together."_

_Wuya's fear and uncertainty seemed to vanish as Dashi laughed again and released her, turning to introduce himself to the newcomers. _I suppose if Dashi is here with me…it's not like I'm doing this alone, after all.

_"Guan," Dashi's father began, looking at the boy with the braid. "You are the Dragon of Fire. Chase," he turned to the boy with the gentle eyes, "You are the Dragon of Water. Dashi, my son." He beamed down at them again. "You are the Dragon of Wind. And Wuya, as I always thought, you will be the Dragon of Earth."_

_Dashi made instant friends with the two boys but had to act as translator for Wuya until she grew more comfortable with them. He also proudly accepted his new title, using the name to introduce himself everywhere he went._

_Wuya would never admit that although she was terrified of the burden and uncertain of her own abilities, her new title stirred within her the first feelings of pride she had ever known. _


	6. Viva La Vida

Chapter 6 - Viva La Vida

Although Dashi was a good teacher and an incredible fighter, Jack was beyond frustrated by his inability to stay on task. Half the time he spent "training" with the old ghost seemed to be spent listening to Dashi's endless stories and lame jokes.

"So, are you _sure_ you aren't Omi's ancestor or something?" Dashi frowned, unhappy that Jack had interrupted his story. "Cuz, you _look_ just like him, and you _act_ just like him, so…"

"I already told you, I never had any kids."

"Well, that doesn't mean he couldn't be related to you," Jack grinned, happy to turn the conversation away from Dashi's escapades. _Never thought I'd find somebody more conceited than Omi, I swear. _"Did you have any brothers or sisters? Did they have kids?"

"Nope, I didn't have any siblings," Dashi flopped back onto the ground, arms behind his head. Jack opened his mouth, but Dashi cut him off by holding up a hand. "And before you ask, no, my dad didn't have any siblings either. Trust me, there is no possible way Omi could be related to me."

"What about your mom?" Jack pressed.

"You're starting to get on my nerves, kid. There's no point in talking about this, we should be focusing on your training."

"What training? You've been blabbing on for the last twenty minutes! A whole week of training and I swear I haven't learned a thing!" Jack threw his hands up into the air. "This isn't helping!"

"A true warrior learns from the examples of his betters," Dashi grinned, unfazed by Jack's outburst. "And a true warrior has infinite patience."

"Whatever. I'm starting to think you won all those battles just on luck." Jack's voice dropped low as he imitated Master Fung. "'A true warrior practices humility in all things,' remember?"

Dashi laughed. "I am exactly as humble as I should be, monk. And…" he grinned over at Jack. "If you need another example of my abilities I'd be happy to demonstrate…"

Jack cringed involuntarily. His real-world wounds didn't exist here, and he had been enjoying the relief. Whenever he sparred with Dashi he always managed to get hurt. Being hurt in this dream world wasn't all that bad, since wounds healed almost instantly. But pain was still pain, no matter how brief. Unlike the other monks, Jack didn't enjoy putting himself in situations where he was bound to get hurt.

_That_, Jack thought, _is probably the biggest difference between me and the others. Well, other than the blatant lack of talent. _Raimundo and the others were brave without trying, it seemed. They sought battle everywhere they went and hardly seemed to care for their own safety at all. No one could keep them away from a chance to fight, a chance to improve.

_Too bad I'm not like that_. For the monks, bravery seemed to be as easy as breathing. Yet Jack's courage deserted him at the slightest sign of danger. Omi had assured him over and over that bravery had nothing to do with being fearless. _"Courage is about facing your fears, Jack Spicer, not eliminating them completely." Yeah, that's easy coming from the guy whose only fear is squirrels. _

Omi wouldn't stop praising Jack about his fight with Chase. He and the others went on about how brave Jack had been. _"You were obviously quite terrified, yet you faced your fear! Do you understand, my friend?"_ Jack hadn't felt brave at the time, just stubborn. _I think I was just more afraid of looking like a wimp than of Chase kicking the crap out of me. _

Jack looked back at Dashi. The monk was wearing a quizzical look, watching Jack out of the corner of his eye. Dashi's expression reminded Jack of Rai. The old monk often gave him the same pressured feeling he got from Raimundo. Like he was being judged—tested. _Well, that makes sense, doesn't it? Dashi _is_ my master._

"Okay," said Jack, trying to sound casual and hopping to his feet. "Lets see whatcha got, oh grand master." The fighting stance came easily to him after months of training at the temple. Jack shuddered when he remembered the old days. He hadn't even known basic self-defense positions. Pathetic.

Dashi raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm impressed, Jack. I'd been wondering if the courage you showed facing Chase was just a fluke. Apparently you do have some guts."

"Yeah, well…just bring it on." _Again with the mind-reading. What is with this guy?_

"Okay, kid," said Dashi as he leapt to his feet. "Maybe we should take this fight outside?"

"Sure, let's go—" Jack's voice was cut off when the basement around them disappeared. Blinking in the sudden sunlight, Jack realized they were now standing in the training grounds of the temple. "Okay, that'll work I guess."

"Just so you know, I won't go easy on you…" Dashi stretched his arms out and cracked his shoulders.

_Bravery may not be my thing, but bravado certainly is._ Jack grinned and waved his hand dismissively. "Sure, whatever, old man. I'm not scared of any fifteen hundred year old ghost."

A thin smile stretched across Dashi's face. "Well, maybe you should be."

Jack was on his back in an instant, skidding across the ground. Eye and cheek throbbing where Dashi had hit him, he started to push himself to his feet. Dashi was at his side suddenly. The monk grabbed him by his arm, and flung him into the air. Jack cut his scream off and activated his heli-bot instinctually. _Now I remember why I always wore this thing,_ Jack thought. He floated up out of Dashi's reach and rubbed his cheek.

"Jeez, you weren't kidding about not going easy on me. Usually the others just say that to be nice."

Dashi grinned up at him, not dropping his stance. "Well, you wont learn how to take a hit if no one ever hits you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Jack glared down. "I have plenty of practice taking punches! Wait, that didn't come out right…"

"You think you can hide from me up there?" Dashi chuckled. "You know you're dealing with the Dragon of Wind, right?"

"Huh? Wind? Like Raimundo?" Jack watched as Dashi propelled himself off the ground and into the air. A gust of wind came up out of nowhere and pushed Dashi up further until he was hovering in front of Jack. The young monk was surprised and tried to slip back into his defensive stance. But of course, he couldn't brace himself without the ground as an anchor.

"Fighting in the air isn't like fighting on the ground, Jack" Dashi laughed at the boy's unsteady stance. "This is my element. You're just a visitor here."

A burst of wind shoved Jack forward as he wheeled his arms wildly, trying to regain balance. Dashi slid out of the flailing monk's path and brought his elbow smashing down onto Jack's back just above the heli-bot.

Jack plummeted toward the ground. Despite the pain, he managed to catch himself before hitting face-first. Dashi leaned back in the air and crossed his legs as Jack fought to regain his breath.

"Not looking so hot down there." Dashi's voice floated down from behind him. "Maybe you need some time to rest?"

"You're really an ass, you know that Dashi?" Jack climbed to his feet and glared up at the old monk.

"You know, I've been told so many times." Dashi shrugged. "Guess I just don't see it."

Trying to take advantage of Dashi's relaxed stance, Jack leapt back into the air and attacked. Dashi reacted easily and sent Jack smashing back to the ground, this time with a broken nose.

"Hey, do fair," said Jack, holding a hand to his nose. "It's dot like I'll hab to fight Chase in de air!" He knew, of course, that Chase could fly, but he couldn't remember ever seeing him fight in the air.

"True, Chase is much better suited to ground battle," Dashi floated above him, standing now. "He prefers it. Feels much more comfortable on the ground. Perhaps you could use this to your advantage when fighting him. After all, you do have the two best Dragons of the Wind as your teachers.

"I'm sure Raimundo and I can give you a pretty good advantage…but…" He smiled down at Jack. "…I didn't know you were thinking about fighting Chase Young again. When did you make that plan?"

Jack realized that he'd been considering ways to fight Chase for a while now. _But of course I can't defeat him._ The guy had fifteen hundred years of training and a bunch of Heylin magic on his side. _I'm nothing but an amateur monk; I'll never be a threat to Chase Young. _

Yet…even as he tried to dismiss the idea, Jack ran over his fight with Chase again. He remembered the way it had felt when his fist hit Chase's face. Yes, he had gotten lucky. No, he'd probably never lay a hand on Chase again. But still…

"Who…who said I was planning to go up against Chase? That's just stupid." Jack didn't look Dashi in the eye.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that's just how it seemed to me. Seemed like you wanted to beat him. To avenge your friend and prove your worth and all that? My mistake." Dashi looked away casually, but Jack caught the small smirk on his lips.

"I…I do. Of course I do, but it's hopeless!" Jack threw his arms up. "I'll never be a match for Chase in a million years, you know that! He's, like, one of the greatest warriors of all time and I'm…just…" His voice trailed off and his shoulders slumped.

"Yes? Just what?"

"You know what. I'm not good enough. Obviously." _There isn't really even a point in thinking about it. Why bother?_ "Even Raimundo couldn't stand up to Chase, I don't have a chance."

"Certainly not with that attitude." Dashi's tone turned flat, irritated.

"Don't start with that 'positive attitude' crap." Jack got more than enough of _that_ nonsense from Omi.

Dashi glowered down for a moment. "Fine, don't listen to me, I'm just your master. Just the greatest warrior to ever live. Not like I'd know."

"The point is, I'd never be able to beat him, right?" Jack looked up at Dashi. _I know what you're going to say, old man. Just spit it out. Tell me I'm not good enough. _

"You really want to?" Dashi dropped to the ground in front of Jack. His expression was serious. "You want to defeat Chase Young?"

No witty comments came to mind, so Jack simply nodded.

"For yourself, or for Raimundo?"

"For…for both of us. To avenge Rai, yeah. But…" Jack hesitated, unsure of how to phrase his feelings. _Well, I sound like an arrogant jerk, but here goes._ "Like you said. To prove myself. To Raimundo and the others. And…"

"And to Chase?"

"Okay, seriously, can you read my mind or what?" Jack was more than a little ashamed to admit that he still felt the need to prove his worth to Chase.

"Raimundo told me you used to idolize him." Dashi chuckled, but there was bitterness in his tone. "I don't blame you. He's a great warrior. Always has been. He just…he was tricked by his own greed and pride. Devoured, in a way."

Of course, Jack knew the story of Chase Young's fall from the Xiaolin side. Hannibal Roy Bean had convinced him to drink the Lau Mang Lon soup to gain power. That potion was where he got his Heylin abilities. "You guys used to train together, didn't you? Omi said you, Chase, and some guy named Guan used to be buddies."

Dashi smiled. "Yes. Not only were we allies, but we actually grew up together. Trained at the temple as children, like Raimundo, Omi, and the others. We were very close."

"Whoa, I didn't know that." _I don't think Omi knows that either, otherwise he would have gone on about it. _"What was Chase like? I mean, when he was young?" Jack dropped into a sitting position on the grass.

"Thought you didn't like my stories?" Dashi smirked, but sat down as well. "Chase as a kid? Hm…he was quiet. Reserved. Kind."

"You sure we're talking about the same guy here?"

"Actually, other than the kind part, he hasn't changed all that much." Dashi leaned back on his palms and looked up into the sky. Another smile came to his face. "He's definitely still reserved. Still pretty quiet, more or less. Equally as ambitious. Prideful. Couldn't ever resist a challenge, especially from Guan.

"That's what got him into trouble with Hannibal." Dashi shook his head and laughed. "Chase was arrogant, but I suppose we all were." The smile slipped suddenly. "Well, maybe not…not all of us."

Jack raised his eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Was this Guan guy arrogant too, or…"

"We should probably get back to your training." Dashi flipped back to his feet and grinned down. "C'mon, we don't have all night here." He chuckled at his own joke.

* * *

><p>"<em>You know, Dashi, laughing at one's own jokes is utterly pathetic." Guan's voice came from Wuya's left. She crouched down, breathing silently, knowing he wouldn't notice her. The blindfold was hardly a handicap for Wuya; her ability to sense her opponent's position and moves was far beyond those of the other young monks.<em>

_This training exercise, brawl-sparring while blindfolded, was one of Wuya's favorites. The object of the exercise was to pull off the other three monks' blindfolds. The boys would always play their cat-and-mouse game, judging the others' location based on their conversation. Wuya would remain silent, acting only once her victory was assured. Chase made no noise as he snuck up behind Guan, but Wuya knew where he was and stayed out of his way._

"_My own jokes are the only ones worth laughing at, Guan, I think we can all agree on that." Dashi was approaching Guan from the front. The fire monk shifted his stance, exposing his back to Chase. Wuya could imagine the smirk of triumph on the water monk's face as he moved forward to attack._

_After training with them for years, Wuya understood the boys unbelievably well. They knew her, too, but Wuya was fairly sure she knew more about them than they did about her. Chase and Guan often seemed to be concerned with nothing more than one-upping each other. Dashi wasn't quite as bad, but Wuya thought that the boys were a bad influence on him. _Gets more conceited every day, _she thought. _Not that he was exactly humble to begin with.

_As the boys approached each other, tossing taunts back and forth, Wuya suddenly noticed a strange presence just outside the gates to the temple grounds. The gates led right into the courtyard where the monks were sparring, so it wasn't too far away. _What is that?_ She tilted her head, trying to get a better feel, but was brought back to the fight when the three young monks suddenly turned on her._

_Chase, who was closest, tried to lunge out and grab Wuya's arm. She spun out of his reach, but Guan slipped up behind her. Wuya avoided his attempt to trap her in his arms with a quick duck. Although not as physically strong as the boys, Wuya was just as fast and much more perceptive. _

_Swinging her legs out, Wuya knocked both Guan and Chase off their feet. She snagged their blindfolds, and then rolled out of their reach silently, searching for Dashi. _Clever, teaming up like that. Undoubtedly Dashi's idea. _Wuya felt a small grin slip unbidden onto her face. _Not like it'll help them. There he is._ Dashi was slipping around to hide behind his two fallen comrades. _

_Guan and Chase were complaining loudly. Wuya could sense Dashi's panic and frustration as he tried to locate her without making a sound. With a grin, Wuya darted forward and dodged between her two defeated opponents. Dashi was listening for Wuya's approach but still didn't hear her coming. She slipped past Chase and Guan and around behind Dashi without him noticing._

_Wuya took a second to savor her victory as she reached up and grabbed the corner of Dashi's blindfold. _Gotcha._ With her other hand she poked him in a particularly ticklish spot between his ribs. Dashi let out a yelp and flinched away and, the blindfold came off into Wuya's hand._

"_Hey! No fair!" Dashi had to shout to be heard over Chase and Guan's uproarious laughter. "Wuya, you must cheat at this game! How do you always win?" _

_As Wuya reached up to take off her own blindfold, she noticed the odd presence again. This time it was inside the courtyard. And this time, Wuya got a better feel for it. Her stomach churned with fear. She ripped her blindfold off and spun around._

_Leaning on the wall of the temple was a young boy, no more than ten years old. He had ratty red hair and bright red eyes. A large bird sat on his shoulder. It was gray with black wings and bits of red on its head and wingtips. The boy was whispering to the bird, but stopped when Wuya and the other monks looked over at him. _

_Dashi stepped forward and opened his mouth, but the boy interrupted. _

"_Well what do we have here?" His voice was even more unpleasant than his aura. Wuya couldn't say exactly what she found so repulsive about him. She knew, however, that she didn't want to be near him. The urge to run was almost overpowering. A twisted smile grew across his face. "Is it Halloween already? I thought real monks lived here, not half-pint imitations." _

"_Hey, who are you calling an imitation?" Chase stepped forward next to Dashi._

"_And who are you calling half-pint, half-pint?" Guan joined the other two and glared at the boy._

"_Who are you to come to our temple and insult us anyways?" Dashi frowned, but kept his temper better than the others. "Are you here to see my father or what?"_

_The boy's grin widened as his gaze moved from one monk to the next. Finally, his eyes stopped on Wuya. She felt a desperate urge to look away, but forced herself to hold eye contact. _What is so frightening about this little boy? Why am I trembling?

"_Poor little thing." The boy chuckled, and a shiver ran up Wuya's spine. "She hasn't felt true evil in so long. Grown soft here with these weaklings, haven't you, darlin'?"_

"_Wuya!" Dashi put his arm around her shoulders and looked down at her. "Are you alright?" _

_Happy for the excuse to break the boy's gaze, Wuya looked up at Dashi. His eyes were strong. Reassuring. Caring. She smiled with gratitude and nodded._

"_What's wrong, sugar? Can't stand the sight of a real man after hanging out with these losers for so long?" His laughter chilled the courtyard again. _

_Guan and Chase growled in unison as Dashi turned to face the boy._

"_I don't know who you are, kid, but I think you should leave. Right now." Dashi's tone was much more serious than Wuya was used to hearing from him. _

"_I agree," said Guan as he moved into a fighting stance._

_Chase mirrored his friend's movements. "Unless you want to suffer a painful defeat."_

_The boy's fiery eyes lit up, and the effect did nothing to calm Wuya's apprehension. "Well now why would I leave? I just got here. Can't leave without having a bit of fun."_

_Wuya cringed as the boy's eyes met hers again. "And anyway…I haven't gotten what I came for yet."_

_Dashi's eyes narrowed, and his lip curled slightly. Wuya reached up and touched his back gingerly_. Anger doesn't look good on you, Dashi._ He looked down at her and his eyes softened slightly. Reaching out, he put a hand on Wuya's head. _His hands have gotten so big.

_"As you wish." Dashi's voice was cold as he turned back to fact the boy. "Perhaps we could know your name before we defeat you?"_

"_You can just call me Roy. Hannibal Roy."_

* * *

><p>Raimundo awoke to silence in the infirmary. His whole body felt numb and light<em>. Jeez, did I really need this many painkillers? C'mon guys…<em> Honestly, though, Rai didn't mind the relief from his wounds. Although his fight with Chase hadn't been all that long, Raimundo was sure those had been the most painful moments of his life.

After laying still and enjoying the feeling for a moment, Raimundo decided he should probably get up. _Don't want to make the others worry._ Raimundo's eyelids, however, didn't want to open. The rest of his body was similarly uncooperative.

Finally, with a groan, Raimundo forced his eyes open and lifted his arms off the bed. The infirmary was dark, but Raimundo's eyes adjusted quickly. He looked around the room and saw Kimiko laying in the single other bed.

After nearly having a heart attack thinking she was hurt, Raimundo noticed that she was wearing her pajamas. _It's okay, she's fine. Just in here watching over me._ Rai felt his cheeks grow warm. _Kimiko must've been really worried about…_

Rai's thoughts trailed off as he noticed Omi and Clay sleeping on their mats on the floor. Trying not to wake them up, Raimundo stifled his chuckle.

"Raimundo?" The injured boy turned and saw Jack curled up in the bedside chair. He was holding what looked like an ancient scroll, and other scrolls and papers littered the ground around the chair.

"Not you too, Jack?" Raimundo laughed again. "You guys must think I'm pretty pathetic to all be sleeping in here."

Jack dropped his gaze to the ground awkwardly. "It's not like that. They…were just worried about you, that's all." Raimundo frowned. _What's his deal?_ "You've been out for more than a week. During the day they take shifts watching you, but…"

"Dude, are you alright? You're acting pretty weird." Raimundo watched as Jack fiddled with the scroll in his hands, obviously struggling with what to say.

"Listen, Raimundo…" Jack kept his eyes on the scroll in his lap. "I…I'm really, really sorry. This whole thing…your fight with Chase…if I hadn't pissed him of…"

Raimundo stared at Jack. "Are you kidding me? You're not the one who pissed him off, I am. You're not seriously feeling guilty are you?" Jack didn't move, didn't respond. _I've certainly never seen _this_ side of Jack before. What an idiot. I don't see what the big deal is anyway. It didn't hurt _that_ bad. _Rai was about to tell Jack off when Kimiko's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Rai? Rai, you're awake!" Kimiko leapt off her bed and over Omi and Clay as they opened their eyes. Raimundo was slightly disappointed when Kimiko restrained herself from jumping onto the bed. Instead, she leaned down and wrapped her arms around him gently.

_What am I, made of toothpicks?_ Raimundo was sure Kimiko had never been so tender in her whole life. Before he could comment, however, Omi gracelessly inserted himself into the conversation.

"Raimundo! My friend, you have awoken!" Omi didn't bother to restrain himself. He lunged onto the bed and pulled Raimundo's head into a not-so-gentle hug. Rai winced as pain shot through his chest and back. He reached up, trying to pry Omi off, but his arms suddenly hurt as well.

Clay reached down and picked Omi up by his head. "You have really got to stop doing that, partner." He sat Omi down next to the bed and smiled down at Raimundo. "Hey there Rai, how ya feeling?"

"Feeling fine. I don't see why you guys are making this into such a big deal." Raimundo couldn't bring himself to be angry with them, however. Chase _had_ seemed pretty serious. For a moment during the fight, Rai had been worried for his life. But then…

Rai glanced over at Jack, who was gathering up his scrolls. _Jack…he really saved my ass, didn't he? Dashi must have noticed and told him. _The last few moments of the fight with Chase came floating back. _Wasn't really a fight at that point, was it? I was pretty much toast by the time Jack showed up._

"Listen, Rai…" Kimiko began, but her voice faltered. Raimundo looked back at the monks and instantly knew that something was wrong. Their excitement about him waking up was gone. Instead, they looked sad. Not just sad though, they looked like they were about to tell him that someone had died.

"What is it?" They glanced at each other but didn't respond. "C'mon, guys, spit it out, will ya? You're freaking me out here."

Jack's voice, much quieter than usual, came from the other side of the bed. "Don't you remember? Chase…he broke your spine." Rai remembered, suddenly, Chase's laughter. The stabbing pain. A nauseating crack. Looking down at his legs, Raimundo realized, for the first time, that he couldn't feel his toes. Couldn't feel his feet or legs at all.

The three monks seemed to find the floor and walls very intriguing as Jack said aloud what Raimundo had already recognized. "You're paralyzed, Raimundo. From the waist down. The monks said you won't be able walk anymore."

_What? Unable to walk?_ Raimundo's brain felt like mush. _What about fighting? I can still fight, right? _The question was so idiotic that Rai wanted to laugh at its absurdity. He couldn't smile, however. His whole body was frozen. _No, this is a dream. It's got to be._

"Now do you see why…why I…" Raimundo noticed the tremble in Jack's voice. The boy seemed to be on the verge of tears. Jack's earlier behavior suddenly made sense. _He feels guilty! He thinks it's his fault! _

Raimundo forced himself to move. Forced himself to smile, despite the ice in his chest.

"No, I don't see why." Rai was surprised by how genuine his voice sounded. _Good_. "I don't see what the big deal is. You guys think I'm such a loser that something like this is gonna get me down? Come on."

Kimiko was the first to look back at Raimundo. Tears were running down her face. Omi and Clay looked over as well. All three appeared surprised. Relieved. Raimundo forced a laugh. Again, it sounded genuine. _Guess I always have been a good liar. Comes in handy more often than I thought._ The three monks smiled and laughed gently.

"I knew it all along!" Omi jumped back onto the bed. "Our leader is much too strong to let wounds like _this_ stand in his way of his battle against evil!"

"Well, I suppose you've got flying on your side, don't you?" Clay pushed his hair back, relief still spreading across his face.

"That's true," said Kimiko. She smiled down at Rai and wiped her eyes. "I didn't think about that."

Raimundo grinned over at Jack, but the boy was already halfway to the door. "Huh? Hey, Jack, where ya going? I just woke up and you're gonna run out on me like this?"

Jack barely hesitated as he opened the door. "Gotta go. Research." His voice was curt but filled with emotion. Raimundo's heart sank. _He doesn't believe me. He can tell I'm lying. When did he become so perceptive?_

As the door closed, Raimundo felt his calm break. He turned away from the others, but they could still see the silent tears running down his cheek. All three leaned in closer to him. Raimundo didn't quite register their words, but he reached out and pulled Kimiko and Omi tightly up to his chest. Clay wrapped his arms around them, and Raimundo felt the pain begin to subside. The ice within his chest melted just a bit.

"It's okay, guys." Clay and Omi let go, but Kimiko kept her arms around Rai's neck. "I think…I'm okay with this…" As the words left his lips, Raimundo knew he was lying. _I'm _not_ okay with this. And I don't have to be._ He looked up at the others. _We live in a world where just about anything is possible, don't we? There's got to be a shen-gong-wu that can help me, doesn't there? Dashi'll know. _Raimundo smiled and hugged Kimiko tighter. _No need to involve them right away, just in case. Don't want to get their hopes up._

The ice began to melt faster as Raimundo grinned at the others and asked them what had happened while he was asleep.

* * *

><p>Anger gripped Jack's heart. As soon as the door was closed he ran as fast as he could down the hallway, out of the building, and onto the training grounds. He had never wanted to fight like he did right now. More than anything, Jack wanted to sleep. To be with Dashi in the lab where he could do and say whatever he wanted without anyone judging him.<p>

Well, Dashi would judge him. But Dashi would just suggest they spar so he could work out his anger—which was exactly what Jack wanted. He wanted to hit someone. Hard.

Instead, Jack hit one of the many punching bags kept in the training ground.

Imagining that the punching bag had Chase's face wasn't at all helpful, because Jack was really angry with himself. Again, Jack wished he could be with Dashi. The old monk had a very calming effect, and he could somehow always tell what Jack meant. This time, Jack wasn't thinking only about his guilt.

Of course he can't trust me, look at everything I've done. I haven't been with Raimundo and the others long enough to make up for my mistakes in the past.

At first when Raimundo had lied and tried to hide his grief, Jack had thought he was just being stupid. _Why hide from us? We're your friends. Especially the others. They've seen you in much worse spots than this, why hide your pain from them?_

Then, he had realized the truth. Raimundo wasn't hiding from the others. He was only hiding from Jack.

And why shouldn't he? How have I given him any reason to trust me? All I've done is betray and trick him. All of them.

"Excuse me, Jack Spicer?" The voice of an older monk came out of nowhere. Jack spun around too quickly, and the monk looked startled. "I apologize for surprising you, child. I just wanted to deliver a message."

_Should have sensed him coming_, Jack scolded himself vaguely. _Stupid_. "Yeah, what is it?" Jack's voice came out much more snappish than he'd intended.

"Wuya is still requesting your presence. I believe visiting her may be the gentlemanly thing to do. She has been asking for some time now."

Jack's old questions about Wuya rose back up again. _Why did she come to see me? What does she want? Well, I suppose if I can't see Dashi I might as well go visit Wuya. Who knows, maybe she'll want to fight again._

The thought of visiting Wuya calmed Jack down a bit, though he wasn't sure why. _Maybe she can help me with my research, too_. Jack looked down at the scrolls he'd dropped all over the training ground. Although he'd spend all his free time in the temple library, Jack had so far been unable to locate whatever it was Dashi had sent him there after. _It would probably be easier it you didn't stop to read each and every scroll you found down there, _Jack reprimanded himself.

"Okay, I'll go see her. Sorry for the trouble, master." The monk smiled at Jack's words and assured him that no apology was necessary. Jack started cleaning up the papers while trying to decide what he should say to Wuya.

* * *

><p>For the first time ever, Wuya felt relieved to awake from her memory-dream. She reached up and rubbed her cheek, certain that she could still feel the pain from Hannibal's blows. Wuya had no difficulty believing that that boy was Hannibal Roy Bean. First of all, that bird on his shoulder had definitely been the Ying-Ying Bird, Hannibal's faithful pet. Second, Hannibal's twisted smile and vicious laugh were unmistakable.<p>

The feeling of revulsion faded slowly. _Why did he make me feel like that? He was more disgusting then as a boy than he is now as a bean. _

The boy had also been much more powerful than Hannibal was now. His Heylin abilities had overpowered the four young monks easily, almost effortlessly. There was something familiar about his powers, as well. Wuya realized suddenly why she recognized the green light. _Those were _my_ powers! Mine! That little freak, how dare he…_

Wuya stopped herself, realizing she was being ridiculous. After all, it wasn't like Hannibal had those powers now. If he did, he'd hardly need to collect shen-gong-wu in order to be a match for Chase Young or the monks.

_If he had them back then, does that mean they were his powers first?_ But Wuya realized that even as a child, those abilities had seemed familiar. What was it he had said? _"She hasn't felt true evil in so long."_ Yet her knowledge of the young Wuya's memories told her that the girl had never met Hannibal. The boy was too young to have known her before she moved to the temple, anyway. Unless he was older than he looked or had somehow known her when he was an infant.

Rubbing her temples, Wuya sat up on the bed and looked over for her morning meal. Even though she was a prisoner, Wuya ate better here than she had at Chase's house. Remembering Chase made Wuya's lip curl with anger. _That bastard. I can't believe he hasn't even lifted a finger to help me. Probably thinks he can keep an eye on me better this way. _

Not for the first time, Wuya had the inane desire to be back in her ghostly body. _Things were so much easier then. No one could have locked me up. I wouldn't have to worry about food. And,_ a grin spread across Wuya's face, _I could harass Chase Young all I wanted to. He wouldn't be able to get rid of me. I could even ask him about our childhood together. _Wuya doubted, however, that Chase had any memory of her as a child. He'd never acted like they'd known each other before. Never seemed like he was hiding their past from her.

_Well, maybe I could force him to remember somehow. I'd even be willing to talk to Hannibal about this. Anything to get some answers._ Wuya grabbed the tray of food and leaned back on the bed to eat.

* * *

><p>Hannibal Roy Bean watched with amusement as Wuya finished her meal and began pacing around the cell. Ying-Ying's eyes showed him everything he wanted to see. They reflected with an image of her like a crystal ball.<p>

"So." Hannibal chuckled at Wuya's frustration. "It seems our little witch has even dropped below that idiot Spicer in strength."

The image in the bird's eyes shifted, and Hannibal watched the four monks chattering away. _Even paralysis doesn't get that group down for long, does it_? Hannibal was slightly disappointed. Regardless of how much he hated Chase Young, the bratty leader of the pipsqueak monks had managed to humiliate Hannibal twice. Hannibal wouldn't deny that he had cheered Chase on while watching his fight with Raimundo.

_Bravo, Chase. A little more direct than I would have been comfortable with, but I suppose the boy did damage your pride, didn't he? Made you go crawling home with your tail between your legs._ Hannibal chuckled again. _You and your pride._

Again, the image changed, and Hannibal watched Jack making his way to Wuya's cell. "I was right about you all along, wasn't I? I am honestly surprised it took you this long to start hiding behind Raimundo and his little friends."

Hannibal waved his arm dismissively, and the image went back to Wuya again. "I believe our little Wuya may still prove useful. After all, desperate people are easy to use."


	7. She's Always A Woman

Chapter 7 – She's Always A Woman

Wuya heard footsteps approaching her cell. The monks had kept an eye on her earlier by posting guards, but they seemed to have grown tired of watching her. Either that or they decided that she wasn't getting out—with or without guards. She eyed the door, wondering if they were bringing more food.

When Jack materialized through the closed door, Wuya had to stifle a gasp. _Could have warned me before just popping right in._ In his hand was the Serpent's Tail, the shen-gong-wu that allowed the user to move through solid objects. Seeing Jack for the first time in more than a week sent another rush of mixed emotions through her. Wuya wasn't able to ignore the part of her that inspected his wounds and found that, although he was looking better physically, there seemed to be a new type of pain in his eyes.

_What happened? He looks so…defeated._ Wuya had been sure that Jack wouldn't be able to keep the triumph from his face. Sure that his gloating would be absolutely intolerable. _I've never seen him like this. No matter how badly the monks beat him._

Wuya kicked herself silently and tried to recall her anger. For some reason, however, she couldn't bring herself to be anything more than mildly irritated at the boy. Wuya forced a glare to her face anyway.

"What's that look for? You're the one who wanted to see me." Even Jack's tone held a note of depression that Wuya didn't recognize. "So…what do you want?"

Wuya leaned back on the bed and crossed her legs. Even more than sympathetic, she felt curious. _What is wrong with him? He won't answer if I ask him outright._ Wuya turned on her falsely sweet tone. "Why, Jack, you should know what I want."

"I hope you're not expecting me to get you out of here. I'm not in control of that. You'll have to talk to Master Fung, and I'm pretty sure he's not going to want to…"

"As though I need you to release me." Wuya waved her hand dismissively. "I could leave whenever I wanted to." Wuya could tell Jack didn't believe her. _I don't think that lie would have fooled even the old Jack._

"Okay, well…then what? Revenge? You want a rematch?" Jack seemed hopeful, and Wuya noticed that beneath the misery, his eyes held anger. Jack had always been easily frustrated, but the anger Wuya saw now seemed to run much deeper than any of his childish tantrums.

"Well," said Wuya, choosing her words carefully, "I would certainly enjoy teaching you a lesson. However, I'm not sure my victory would be very satisfying. You seem so miserable, I don't see how beating you to a pulp right now would be any fun."

Jack let his gaze drop to the ground and didn't respond.

"Why don't you answer a question of mine, Jack? Why did you finally choose to come see me? I've been trying to get those useless monks to bring you down here all week. Now, suddenly, you come on your own? You obviously didn't come to gloat…which certainly surprises me."

Jack grinned, but the expression was weak. "Well, I guess I could." He lifted his gaze up to look at her, and Wuya realized that although this new Jack was stronger, wiser…he was still her Jack. _Yes. My Jack_. A sense of fondness came over Wuya, and she ignored the desire to push the feeling away. _He was mine first, wasn't he? My toy? My tool?_

"I guess," Jack continued, looking back at the ground, "I just want to know…why did you try and sneak in to see me? I know it wasn't to try and convince me to join you, so don't even bring that back up. Just tell me the truth."

Wuya almost laughed as she imagined telling Jack that she had come to see him upon being possessed by an outlandish concern for his well being. _He wouldn't believe that in a million years. _For some reason, the thought made Wuya a little sad. _I'm not that little girl anymore. I'm the greatest Heylin sorcerer of all time. I am not concerned with the injuries of my underlings._

Jack's words during their fight had stung more than Wuya liked to admit. Yes, he was a bumbling idiot, and yes, he failed much more often than he succeeded. But…the young man in front of her had certainly proven himself. _Jack really did just need a chance, didn't he?_ Wuya's own mocking assessment of the boy echoed in her head. "_He is nothing more than a child. I used him while I could, but he has outlived any value at this point."_

"Why don't you wear your makeup anymore, Jack?" Wuya's tone was softer than she'd intended, but she didn't bother to change it. "You look strange without it. Like you're trying too hard to fit in with those Xiaolin fools."

Jack looked back up at Wuya. She expected a defensive reply, but Jack let out a sigh. "Well…maybe I am."

Instead of showing her surprise, Wuya stood up and walked over to Jack. "The robe looks silly on you as well. Black suits you much better."

"You think so?" Jack didn't flinch as she approached. He remained where he was, slouching slightly, defenses lowered. "Yeah. I kinda agree." With a sigh, Jack reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look at this, too. My hair is all faded. Too much time in the sun. Remember how bright it used to be? I dunno, Wuya. Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here. I'm not really…like Rai and the others." Jack gave her a weak smile. "I guess you know that better than anyone, huh?"

Jack's sudden vulnerability reminded Wuya of their time together before she'd gotten her body back.

"Chase…he hurt Raimundo. Really bad. I couldn't help him. Couldn't protect him. I can't fight Chase. I'm useless as a warrior. Not only that, but Raimundo and the others can't trust me at all. Just look at everything I've done to them." Jack seemed to regain some of his energy. He started pacing around the cell. "I mean, really, what was I thinking? They're so nice to me, but I'm not one of them, am I? How could I expect them to trust me?"

"What do you mean, they don't trust you? You've been with them for months. Any idiot could see how committed you are to them."

"That's not what I mean." Jack sat down on the bed. "They don't think I'm going to betray them or steal from them or anything, but…I'm not one of them. They don't trust me like they trust each other."

Wuya rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to laugh. "Jack, it's not trust you're looking for." He looked up, and Wuya again saw the honest, open Jack of the past. She walked over and sat next to him. "You always were the jealous type, weren't you?"

Jack slouched back on the bed and glared up. "What are you talking about? Why can't anyone just say what they mean around here?"

"Their friendship is what you're looking for, you idiot." Again, Wuya's voice wasn't as harsh as she'd intended. "And in addition to being blind as to what you want, you're also blind to the fact that you already have it."

A familiar pout peeked out of Jack's expression. "You don't even know what happened. Just stay out of it."

_You're inviting me into it, Jack._ "Well, as long as you're here, why don't you go ahead and tell me what happened? Unlike certain others, I don't exactly have the ability to magically stay updated on current events." Wuya turned her head and shot a poisonous glare out the tiny window. She hoped Chase knew it was for him.

Jack didn't hesitate. He relayed the whole story, from Chase's ambush to Raimundo's attempt to brush off the news of his injury.

"And it's not like I can blame him. I mean, it's my fault Chase went after him in the first place." Jack pushed his fingers through his hair again. "So you see what I mean? It's not like he doesn't trust me…he just…doesn't trust me."

"I see what you mean. And I see that you're a complete idiot, as I already knew." Wuya chuckled. "Just like those Xiaolin morons. I think you do belong here after all. Raimundo was obviously trying to act tough so you wouldn't feel guilty."

Silence stretched between them as Wuya watched Jack's brain slowly process the idea she'd just revealed. A bit of relief crept through her as she saw some light reappear in Jack's eyes. Wuya was unable to resist the urge to grip onto that string of happiness and yank Jack out of the darkness.

"And anyway, I don't see what the big deal is with this paralysis of Raimundo's. Even if you monks can't find a magical cure, you, Jack, could just fix him yourself." Wuya twirled her hand absently as Jack's eyes widened. "Build him some robotic legs or leg braces or some other stupid thing. I never thought I'd see you out of ideas."

_I shouldn't have done that. Jack is my enemy now. And Raimundo has always been. I shouldn't have helped them…_

Before Wuya could finish chastising herself, Jack cut her off. He leapt up from his slouched position and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly. Jack's grip was firm, much stronger than it had ever been before. Though he wasn't quite as big, Jack suddenly reminded Wuya of Dashi. A quick shiver of delight ran through her before she was able to protest the hug.

Then, almost immediately, Jack let go. He was on his feet, babbling on and on about some invention. Wuya never understood his science ramblings, so she used the time to recover. She forced indifference back into her face and crossed her legs.

"…It'll work. It will work. It has to work." Jack turned to face Wuya. She was unsurprised by the fire in his eyes. "Wuya, I…thank you. I don't know…why you just did that, but thanks."

Wuya turned her head away. "Don't think I was doing you any favors. I know how you Xiaolin types are about debts. Don't forget that you owe me now, Jack." He didn't seem to completely buy her excuse, but he also didn't seem to care. With an absent nod, Jack disappeared through the wall.

* * *

><p>Jack was halfway to the shen-gong-wu vault when he realized that running off for supplies would be completely pointless. <em>I'm not even done with my preliminary designs yet.<em> He spun around and took off toward his room. Jack didn't notice Kimiko coming out of her room until he collided with her, almost knocking them both to the ground. He was able to reach out and catch her just in time.

"Whoa, jeez, sorry Kimiko," said Jack as he pulled her back to her feet.

"Well, somebody's in a hurry." Kimiko's hair was styled up, and she had makeup on for the first time in more than a week. In her hand, Jack saw her little PDA. Kimiko had combined the abilities of the Mind-Reader Conch and the Eye of Dashi (which granted limitless energy) to give her PDA the ability to read anyone's mind at any distance. The device brought an unbidden blush to Jack's face. The monks had taunted him endlessly about the time they'd used the PDA to trick him into thinking he had defeated Chase and Hannibal in a showdown.

"Whatcha doing with that thing, Kimiko?" Jack grinned, and the expression felt great. "Gonna go torment some more defenseless losers? You guys are so cruel."

Kimiko glanced down at the PDA and laughed. "Maybe I will, Jack." A familiar, mischievous smile crept across her face. "Better watch out. Be careful what you think."

"Oh, well, I don't think you're gonna understand my thoughts right now, baby. But feel free to give it a shot." Jack slipped past her and shot another grin over his shoulder.

"You're sure in a good mood all of a sudden." Kimiko's voice followed Jack into his room as he started rummaging through his stuff, looking for the schematics he had seen in his dream-lab with Dashi. He remembered packing them up with some of his tools, but he hadn't even touched them since moving to the temple.

"You just happy because Rai's awake? You seemed so upset when you ran off." Kimiko's voice grew louder, and Jack could tell she was leaning in the doorway, watching him toss his belongings around the room. "Maybe I should use this thing on you after all. Figure out what you're so excited about, hm?"

Jack blinked, pausing his search. "Hey, that's a good idea, Kimiko." He turned to face her. "Can I borrow that?"

Kimiko narrowed her eyes. "What for? I don't like lending my stuff out. Especially something like this."

"Wuya is…acting weird. I wanna know why."

"Well, okay, I guess so. Just…don't go reading my mind or anything, got it? Unless you're looking for a beating."

"Got it." Jack took the PDA from Kimiko's outstretched hand. "Though now that I think about it, Wuya's probably in there right now talking to herself about everything. I should just bug the room." Jack flipped on the device. It was an expensive model, as Jack expected. Kimiko's father owned an electronics company, and his little girl only got the best of the best.

Of course, the PDA was nothing compared to Jack's own modified models. But he didn't have any of his own equipment as handily available. Feeling the device in his hands, Jack had to resist the urge to reach for his tools. _It could be so much better if I just…altered it a little…_

"So what were you gonna do with this, Kimiko? The Mind-Reader Conch and Eye of Dashi are already in here. You were obviously going to use it for something."

Kimiko's cheeks turned a little pink. Then she sighed. "Guess you caught me. I was just going to…check on Raimundo. He seems to be handling…well…you know. I thought he'd be crushed, but…it's hard to tell with him." Some of the light faded from her eyes. "He used to be so easy to read. But ever since he became our leader he's been so…mysterious."

Jack nodded. _Good point. This thing is more useful than I thought. Not only can I get the truth out of Wuya, I'll finally know what Raimundo's been so secretive about. I'm sure his thoughts will give me a good idea of what to look for in the library._

"Well, anyway…just give it back when you're done. And don't take too long."

"Can I use it for a couple hours? That's probably all I'll need."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll be in the infirmary. But…don't mention it in front of Rai, okay? It works best if they don't know you're listening, obviously."

"Obviously. Thanks Kimiko." Jack grinned down at her. "You can be pretty evil when you want to, ya know that?"

"I don't think I should be hearing that from you, Jack," said Kimiko as she headed down the hall. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, kay?"

"No problem…" Jack's voice was little more than a mumble as he shoved the PDA into his pocket and continued tearing apart his room.

* * *

><p><em>…Should have grabbed the Serpent's Tail when I had the chance.<em> Wuya's thoughts echoed through the temple library. Jack sat at the desk, the schematics for his new invention spread in front of him. _He was just trying to distract me with that teary confession._

Jack felt his cheeks go a little warm as he scribbled new designs on the papers. Where had that outburst come from? Since when had he used Wuya's shoulder to cry on? _Was he trying to trick information out of me? Probably hoping I'd take pity on him and give him info on some healing shen-gong-wu._ Jack leaned closer to the PDA._ Not that he couldn't just ask Dojo. But I doubt the fool would have thought of that._ Jack blushed again. He hadn't thought of it. Using a healing shen-gong-wu would probably be much better than waiting to finish his project. His invention was still in the preliminary stages. Jack had never blended technology with Xiaolin abilities before. Even if he could get it to work in theory, building the devices would take months.

_Are there even any shen-gong-wu that could help him?_ Wuya's mental voice seemed to speed up as a list of dozens of shen-gong-wu and their abilities flipped through her head. Jack wondered, for the first time, how Wuya knew so much about the shen-gong-wu. Dashi created them, didn't he? And she was his enemy, right? It made sense that she would know a little bit about his inventions, but she could even sense when each one revealed itself and where it was hidden. Her abilities were equivalent to Dojo's, and he was the mystical dragon that had helped Dashi hide the wu in the first place.

_Of course Dashi wouldn't think to prepare for a situation like this. When would the great grand master ever need healing capabilities?_ Jack chuckled. Wuya sounded like she knew Dashi pretty well.

_Hopefully Jack can figure something out. Something that actually works. I'd love to see the look on Chase's face when Raimundo and the monks get him back for this._ Jack frowned. Was that it? Wuya had helped him in order to get back at Chase? It was certainly something she would do, but Jack got the feeling there was more to her actions that just that. _Maybe next time Jack comes to see me he won't be acting so pathetic. Then I'll teach him the lesson he deserves. Shouldn't have helped him…but he was just so…_

Suddenly, Jack realized the truth. His pencil dropped to the floor. He wanted to slap himself. It had been so obvious all along. Wuya had come to visit him because she was worried about him. She'd comforted him because she felt bad for him. She'd given him hope, pulled him out of his depression, because she didn't like seeing him upset.

Impossible. Wuya had never, ever cared about Jack. He had always been her tool, the loser who'd accept her companionship because he was lonely. Because he had no other choice. Jack had always been disposable. Now she suddenly cared about him? No wonder Wuya had tried to lie. Of course she couldn't admit that she was worried._ If I was worried about Wuya, I wouldn't want her knowing either._

Jack's face blazed as a strange, dirty feeling came over him. He had never been very in-tune with his moral compass, but Jack suddenly felt like he'd done something terribly wrong by sneaking into Wuya's mind and stealing a shielded secret. His cheeks were as red as his hair as he dove for the PDA, turning it off as quickly as he could. Jack had never felt so embarrassed. Guilt surged through him. He understood why Master Fung was so touchy about the Mind-Reader Conch. _How can Kimiko use this thing so easily?_

Setting the PDA aside, Jack silently vowed not to use it to look into Raimundo's thoughts. _If Kimiko feels comfortable with that, she can go ahead. I'll find out the answers to my questions on my own._ Jack turned back to the desk, picked up his pencil, and continued his work.

* * *

><p>Raimundo opened his eyes and squinted. Sunlight always seemed to find its way through the patched ceiling of his tiny beach shack. The smell of salt water, though familiar, was almost overwhelming. Rai could hear the waves moving softly against the sand outside.<p>

When Raimundo had spent time in the shack as a kid, before he'd joined the Xiaolin temple, it had never been so quiet. Seagulls' cries would mix with the sounds of people on the beach. Rai had loved the secluded little shack—mostly because he could be alone, but he always knew there were other people nearby.

For a moment, Raimundo didn't move. He had lain in the infirmary for hours before allowing himself to sleep, fearful that he'd be paralyzed in his dreams with Dashi as well.

"Oh, come on, kid. How long are you gonna lay there feeling sorry for yourself?" Rai twisted around on the sand to face Dashi. Without even meaning to, he moved his legs. He could feel them. Raimundo held back a sigh of relief.

"Shut up, old man. I wasn't feeling sorry for myself." Rai hopped to his feet. Though he'd only been stuck in bed for one day, anxious energy flooded through him. _Never knew how much I'd hate lazing around all day._ "By the way, thanks for the warning about my legs there, grand master. Coulda said something. I know you knew."

Dashi was leaning against one of the rickety walls. "Wasn't my place. I'm your master. You needed your friends to help you out with that, not me."

"Whatever. Doesn't matter either way."

"Oh really? Seems to me like they really helped you out. Though I'm not sure why you kicked Jack out. Nearly broke the poor kid's heart." Dashi glanced over, and Raimundo could see his poorly hidden irritation.

"I didn't kick him out, what are you talking about? He's the one who ran off." Rai felt his own irritation with the old monk growing.

"Good thing, too. Otherwise you'd probably have tried to keep up that stupid macho act. Your little friends might have fallen for it, but Jack is my student. He's more perceptive than that."

"Oh come on. You've barely been teaching him for more than a week, and it was at my suggestion." Raimundo wasn't sure why keeping his temper around the others had become so easy, when around Dashi he felt like the same little kid he'd been on his first day at the temple. "And it wasn't a macho act. The guy obviously felt guilty about what happened; it would have made him feel even worse if I'd sat there and cried about it."

"Well, he didn't exactly feel great being excluded from the group, did he?" Dashi's calm was, as always, unbroken. But Rai was pretty sure his master was close to revealing that he was actually human. "Don't worry about it, though. Jack is fine. Kid really does bounce back, doesn't he? Though he did have some help."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure you made him feel great." Rai rolled his eyes. Dashi was a great teacher, but his ability to foster confidence in his students was virtually nonexistent.

"It wasn't me." Dashi's eyes softened. "Seems like Jack has found an unlikely friend. Very unlikely."

"Wha? Who?"

"Who do you think? Old alliances die hard, I guess."

Raimundo frowned. "You're joking. The hag? No way Jack would be dumb enough to go back to her."

Dashi shrugged. "Sometimes we find friends in strange places. And people can be unpredictable."

"Not Wuya. She's the most predictable person I know. She's just trying to use him, like always."

"Well, I'll leave it up to you to warn him, then." Dashi looked away. "Save him from the scary witch you locked up in your basement."

The old monk's words stung a bit, though Raimundo wasn't sure why. Wuya was dangerous. Even though he hadn't been the one to lock her up, he supported her imprisonment._ It's not like we're hurting her. And anyway, since when do you care?_

"Anyway," said Dashi, looking back at Raimundo. "I assume you aren't going to take this paralysis laying down?" The old monk chuckled. "Get it?"

"No, I'm not." Raimundo refused to give Dashi's joke a pity laugh. "Why should I? I figure there's got to be some way to fix my legs, right? I mean…there's a shen-gong-wu or something that can help me, right?"

Dashi shook his head. "Nope. Didn't think I'd need one. I don't go around picking fights with anyone I can't beat."

"Okay, well, what about the Treasure of the Blind Swordsman? That can do anything, right?" Raimundo hadn't wanted to resort to using the Blind Swordsman's powers. For some reason it felt more like cheating than using shen-gong-wu.

"Again, no. Well, yes, sort of. The Blind Swordsman could help you, but only temporarily. It can't permanently change something like this. You could probably get your legs back for a few hours, tops."

"What? That's completely useless." Rai was angrier at Dashi's casual dismissal of his plans than at the knowledge that they wouldn't work. "I can't believe how hard we worked to get that piece of junk and protect it from Hannibal. We shoulda just let him keep it."

"It's still a very dangerous weapon and shouldn't be taken lightly."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm starting to think these shen-gong-wu of yours are just as useless. Why are we even bothering to collect them?"

"Excuse me?" Dashi shot Rai a sour look. "I worked hard on those and with good reason."

"Oh yeah? What reason would that be? To make sure no one ever forgot your name? Cuz the way I see it, we'd be better off without them. They cause way more trouble than they fix."

Raimundo held Dashi's gaze, expecting a defensive reply. After a moment of silence, however, Dashi looked away. "Well good luck getting rid of them. They're practically indestructible. Sometimes I amaze even myself." The old monk let out a short, hollow laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raimundo felt some of his anger fade at Dashi's odd response.

"Finally." Dashi turned back to Rai. "Jack is going to sleep. He's been up all night."

"Oh, so you're just gonna ditch me, huh?" Raimundo knew that Jack could use Dashi's help much more than he could. _Especially now. I'll be useless until I figure out how to fix my legs. Still, though…kinda feels like I've been replaced._ "Fine, thanks so much for your help."

"Wrong again. I'm bringing Jack here. You two are going to train together."

"What? Here?" Rai glanced around. The shack had always been his sanctuary. It was where he went to hide. Dashi was the only other person who'd ever been there, and the ghost's presence somehow didn't feel like an intrusion. Jack, on the other hand… "I'm not sure if I…want him here…can't we go outside or something?"

Dashi gave Rai a small smile. "I figured you'd say that." The shack around them disappeared. They now stood out on the beach. Jack was out in the sunlight as well, though he looked like he'd just woken up. He was shading his eyes with one hand and blinking in the sunlight.

Raimundo couldn't stop himself from laughing aloud when he saw his friend. Jack was wearing his old black trench coat, boots, and gloves. His yellow goggles were strapped over his blazing red hair. Rai had forgotten how bright it used to be. Even Jack's heavy black eyeliner was back.

Jack turned and squinted at them. "Rai? Is that you? Why is it so bright out here?"

"It's called the sun, dude." Rai stepped over and clapped Jack on the back. "I forgot you were such a vampire."

"Where are we? What are you doing in my dream?" Jack glanced around the beach and over at Dashi.

"Actually, this is my dream." Raimundo laughed again.

"Oh. Uh, I'm not interrupting or anything, am I?"

"No, no," said Dashi as he stepped forward. "We've actually been waiting for you. Raimundo has been using the time to let off some frustration." The old monk dropped his voice to a barely audible mutter. "…seems to be what you both think I'm here for."

Rai caught Jack's quick glance in his direction. The perceptive, calculating look in his eyes reminded Rai that he was, despite the old outfit, the new and improved Jack Spicer. _Jeez. Sometimes I wish he would just relax and be his old oblivious self._

"What were you waiting on me for?" As Jack turned his attention back to Dashi, his tone held no trace of suspicion. _He must be getting along fairly well with the old monk…already seems to trust him quite a bit._ Raimundo felt an illogical stab of frustration._ I'm just as trustworthy as that guy. Why doesn't Jack trust me?_ The obvious answer to Rai's question jumped into his mind. _Maybe I should just tell him everything._

"For training, of course." Dashi flopped to the ground and fell into a relaxed position. "I need to see the two of you in action."

"You've _seen_ us in action," said Rai. The monk's complaint was mostly for show. After being unconscious for a week and then laying in bed all day, Rai couldn't wait to be up in the air again. Leaning closer to Jack, he spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "Bet the old man is just to lazy to spar with us on his own."

"No kidding." Jack grinned. "I've been wondering why he calls this 'training.' I spend more time listening to him yammer on about how great he is than actually train."

Raimundo didn't quite stifle his laugh as Dashi glared up at them. "Can't judge your abilities accurately by sparing with you myself, can I?"

"And why not?" Rai asked the question because he knew Dashi wanted him to. He already knew what the old monk's reply would be. From Jack's preemptive eye-roll, Rai assumed he knew as well.

"Well, you don't really get a chance to _use_ your abilities against me, do you?" Dashi leaned back and put his arms behind his head. "I figured it would be best to watch you each fight an opponent of your general skill level."

"All right, all right." Rai shot a grin at Jack. "Though I'm not sure about this amateur being in my general skill level. You're learning fast, Jack. But not that fast."

Jack smirked back. "I dunno about that, Rai… You have been out for quite a while. I think you're gonna be surprised." He slipped into a defensive position.

"That stance doesn't go well with those clothes, Jack." Rai sniggered as his friend glanced down at his old outfit. Jack's cheeks turned slightly pink. "You ready to go down, girly boy?" Rai dropped into a fighting stance as well and began circling his opponent, looking for an opening. Jack's stance had gotten better. Raimundo felt a twinge of exhilaration.

"That's my line, Rai. Guess I can't call you a Xiaolin loser anymore, huh?"

Raimundo laughed as he lunged forward, swinging at the side of his opponent's head. Jack ducked and tried to hit Rai with an uppercut. The wind monk flipped into the air and floated upside-down above Jack's head. Out of his opponent's reach, Rai stuck his tongue out at the monk below him.

"Hey, no fair. Elemental powers are cheating," said Jack.

"Takes a cheater to know a cheater, eh Jack?" Raimundo laughed down.

"It takes a cheater to _beat_ a cheater," said Dashi from the sideline. "What was that old proverb? All's fair in love and…?"

"Alright then." Old determination returned to Jack's face. Two sets of spinning blades shot out of the heli-bot. Rai wondered, not for the first time, how Jack operated the machine on his back. It activated without any verbal cues, and Jack certainly hadn't pushed any buttons.

Jack lunged upward with a smirk that Rai thought matched his clothes perfectly. "I've been flying a lot longer than you have, Raimundo. Better get ready to lose."

* * *

><p>"Don't forget, kiddos…" Dashi's voice broke into the battle. Neither of the two boys glanced down. "Wind is not Chase Young's element. He uses his Heylin powers to fly, but he'll avoid fighting in the air unless forced to. So, of course, that is what you'll force him to do."<p>

"And how are we gonna do that?" Rai wasn't focused on his master's words. Despite his excitement at Jack's improvement, Rai couldn't help but feel a little jealous. _He doesn't even have elemental powers and he's actually making me sweat._

"You'll goad him into it. Obviously. He's smart but easy to provoke. You both know that. That's why you must improve your skills in the air. Get it?"

"Yeah, yeah, we got it." Rai dodged one of Jack's attacks, wishing the old man would stop distracting him.

"But, wait, I don't get it." Jack blocked Rai's foot with his arm. "You keep saying air isn't Chase's 'element' and before you said it was your element. And you flew around like Rai." Jack paused for a second and glanced down. Rai followed his gaze, thankful to be able to catch his breath.

"Yes. I am…well, was the Dragon of Wind. Like Raimundo. What's your point?" Dashi broke eye contact with the boys.

"You know my point." Jack lunged at Raimundo without looking up, almost catching him off-guard. Rai dodged just in time. "What was Chase's element?"

"Oh yeah. I never thought about that." Raimundo flipped under Jack and grabbed one of his legs. "The dragons always appear together, huh? You were at the temple at the same time as Chase and Master Monk Guan, right?" He flung Jack toward the ground. "What were their elements?"

"I don't see how this is relevant to your training…"

Jack caught himself before hitting the ground. "I don't see why you're so opposed to telling us. Won't more information on our enemy help us?"

Dashi hesitated for another moment. "Guan's element was fire."

"No surprise there," said Raimundo as he floated down toward Jack.

"And Chase was water, but you don't have to worry about that. Drinking the Lao Mang Long soup takes away one's Xiaolin dragon abilities."

"No wonder that guy is so obsessed with the Cheddarhead." Jack grinned over at Rai.

"No kidding. Those water dragons must just be full of themselves, huh?" Rai laughed. "And each other."

The two looked down at Dashi, who didn't meet their gaze.

"And?" Jack floated down and landed next to the old monk.

"And what? That's all you need to know."

"But who was the Dragon of Earth?" Rai landed on the other side of their master. "Did he die or something?"

"No…no, she didn't die. Well, not exactly." The distant look in Dashi's eyes surprised Raimundo.

"Not exactly?" Jack sent Rai a quizzical look. "Did she or didn't she? It's kinda an either-or type thing, y'know."

"C'mon, man, you gotta tell us."

For a moment, the old monk didn't answer. Rai felt a little guilty for refusing to let the topic go. Dashi almost seemed like a different person. His eyes were dark. Finally, he let out a sigh.

"It should be obvious. Especially to you, Jack. Remnants of her old powers are still within her attacks."

"What are you talking about?" Rai glanced at Jack and saw recognition on his face.

"Wuya? No way. That's impossible," said Jack.

"That is impossible. You said dragons lost their Xiaolin abilities when they turned evil."

"No, I said drinking the Lao Mang Long soup takes away Xiaolin abilities."

"So Wuya didn't drink the soup?" Rai leaned forward. "Then what happened? I mean…I've turned away from the Xiaolin side before, but…wow, Wuya is just bad news. How did that happen?"

Dashi's eyes went dark again. "It was…an accident. A misunderstanding. A mistake." Jack seemed eager to learn more, but Rai caught his gaze and shook his head slightly. Disappointment obvious on his face, Jack nodded back.

The two continued their fight in silence.

(Whee! So sorry for the huge break between updates…this time I have honestly been reeeeeally busy with schoolwork and other [more important :P] writing. Hopefully I still have readers! Thanks so much! Love you all!)


	8. Wish You Were Here

Chapter 8 – Wish You Were Here

Jack opened his eyes to the dimly lit temple library. The schematic he'd been working on all night stuck to his face when he sat up. Jack set the paper down and spread it out across the desk. He'd gotten farther than he'd hoped, but it still wasn't far enough. The idea for this project had come to him quite suddenly, as most of his brilliant ideas did. Now that he began to flesh the plans out more, Jack realized the invention wasn't as simple as he'd first thought.

And now, thanks to Dashi, Jack couldn't even focus. He gathered up his papers and the few scrolls he'd been using and headed up to his room. Wuya's motivations had always been so transparent when they'd worked together. Now, her actions seemed to make less and less sense. Especially with Dashi's unveiling of their history together. _How could she have never told me about that? Was she embarrassed? _

When he reached his room, Jack dropped his armload of papers onto the floor. He was about to flop forward onto the mat the monks called a bed, when he realized his heli-bot was in the way. _Must have left it there when I was tearing the room apart._ Glancing around, Jack realized that the mess in his room resembled the old lair a bit now. He grabbed the heli-bot and leaned back on the bed. Jack smiled and ran his fingers along the smooth metal device. It seemed to weigh much less than it used to.

Suddenly, Omi's head popped into Jack's line of sight. He held back a surprised shriek. _Shouldn't have been spacing out. Should have sensed him coming. Moron._

"Jack, you must come quickly. Raimundo wishes to speak to all of us." Omi's words were rushed as the little monk grabbed Jack's arm and yanked him to his feet.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Jeez, no need to be pushy. What's so urgent anyways?" Jack didn't add that he'd just been with Raimundo. Explaining that they'd been training with Omi's hero was not something Jack was looking forward to.

"He said he would not tell us until you were there," said Omi. Jack took a bit of pride in the fact that the tiny monk couldn't just drag him off at will. Omi shot an irritated look back and tugged on Jack's arm, trying to get him to hurry. "I am certain it is quite urgent. He said it concerned the whole team."

Jack blinked and allowed Omi to pull him a little faster. "Hey, Omi?" The little monk glanced back. "Am I really part of the 'team'?"

Omi rolled his eyes and didn't slow his pace. "Your wit is quite dim, my fiend. Of course you are part of the team. What else would you be?"

"Uh, well…" Jack thought for a second. "I guess I've felt like…a tag-along?"

"Even if you were just tagging along, you are still a member of the team." Omi let out a scoff of laughter. "By the way, I am glad you have decided once more to use your helicopter machine."

Glancing down, Jack realized he was still holding the heli-bot in one hand. "Oh, er…"

"I would very much like to give flying a try sometime." A grin spread across Omi's face. "I am certain I would defeat Raimundo quite easily."

The two monks reached the infirmary. Raimundo was propped up on some pillows. He looked a lot better than he had yesterday, but not nearly as good as he had in the dream world. Clay and Kimiko were sitting on either side of the bed.

"Finally," said Kimiko, grinning over as Omi and Jack entered the room.

"What took you so long, partner?" Clay smiled over as well. "Feels like we've been waiting here for hours. I never knew Rai could keep a secret even for a few seconds." Jack held back a snicker. Sometimes he wondered how well the monks actually knew each other.

"I am quite sorry, my friends." Omi hurried over and sat next to Clay. "But Jack was being most lazy. He was not on the training grounds at all, but merely resting in his room." He shot an accusing look at Jack.

"I knew where he was, Omi," said Rai before Jack could defend himself. "I tried to tell you that, but you ran off too quickly. You could really learn some patience."

"Patience? I am very patient. I am the most patient person I know." Omi turned his glare toward their leader. "Now what did you want to tell us? We are all here, what are you waiting for?"

Raimundo laughed and motioned for Jack to sit in the available chair next to Kimiko. "All right, all right, chill little dude. Jack actually already knows this, but—"

"What?" Omi's voice rose sharply. "Then why did you make me go and get him?"

"Because we need to decide together what to do about it." Raimundo seemed to hesitate before continuing, and Jack knew why. Visibly bracing himself for the monks' response, Raimundo revealed their secret. "Look, Jack and I have been traveling into a sort of spirit world when we sleep and training with Grand Master Dashi."

"What?" Omi's cry was more of a shriek. "Grand Master Dashi has been training you? And _you_?" He turned an accusing finger on Jack. "But…I have been training in the temple my whole life. I should be the one Grand Master Dashi chooses to train. Not…not…"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, Omi." Rai rolled his eyes. "He said he'd end up training all of us eventually. He just needed to train me first since I'm the leader. And…uh…" The monk hesitated, trying to find the best way to appease Omi's anger. "I'm the one who asked Dashi to train Jack."

"But, Raimundo," said Clay, "why would you go and do somethin' like that?"

"Yeah, I mean…" Kimiko glanced at Jack. "No offense, it's just that…"

"Yeah, no offense partner, but you've still got a long way to go here at the temple. The four of us are the ones who could really benefit from Dashi's training."

Jack opened his mouth to tell Clay and Kimiko that he couldn't agree with them more, but Raimundo interrupted him again.

"Guys, that's exactly the point. Jack needs to get better, and fast, if we're ever gonna beat Chase once and for all." Jack glanced at Raimundo, raising an eyebrow as the monk continued.

"Chase is way too tough for us on our own, especially now. And Jack is the perfect weapon. Chase will just keep underestimating him. As a team, the five of us can take Chase, Hannibal, Wuya, or whoever." Rai grinned, and his excitement seemed genuine. _I'll have to remember to compliment Raimundo on how good of a liar he is. Woulda made a great villain_. "But he's too far behind to help us out right now. No offense, dude."

"Hey, none taken." Jack held up his hands and smiled, unsure about how he'd become Raimundo's accomplice in fabricating excuses to keep the others from being angry. _Although, I suppose they aren't complete lies, are they? I do plan on defeating Chase…_

"So he needs to improve as quickly as possible. I've even put some of my own training with Dashi on hold so he can catch up." Rai grinned over at Jack. "He's been doing a great job, too. I never knew you had so much potential, Jack. Guess I should have listened to Omi."

Omi's frustrated expression vanished, and he nodded. "Yes. I always knew Jack would be a great warrior for the side of good." He beamed at Jack, who suppressed a chuckle at how easily the little monk was distracted.

"Well, I reckon that makes some sense." Clay nodded.

"Yeah, as long as we get to train with Dashi eventually, too." Kimiko grinned at Jack. "Training with the Grand Master? You've certainly come a long way from 'Jack Spicer, Prince of Darkness,' eh?" She elbowed him in the ribs and winked.

Jack laughed with her but caught Raimundo's quick sigh of relief out of the corner of his eye.

"Right. So, anyway." Rai looked around at them, his expression serious. "That's not what I wanted to tell you, obviously. Dashi told us something totally weird just a little bit ago while we were training…"

"Yeah," said Jack, leaning forward as the other monks did the same. "He said that Wuya used to be a Xiaolin monk. Not only that, but she was a chosen one, like you guys."

"Dashi said she was training at the temple at the same time as him, Chase, and Master Monk Guan," said Rai. "Her element was earth. The four of them were the four elemental dragons."

The group was silent for a moment; then Clay let out a low whistle. "Is Dashi sure about that? I dunno, Rai it just…"

Kimiko completed Clay's thought. "…just seems so unlikely. Impossible, really."

"Why?" The group turned to look at Jack. "I mean, I couldn't believe it at first either, but think about it. Chase was once a dragon and he turned evil. And he's way worse than Wuya."

Raimundo laughed. "A week ago I might have argued with you on that one. But I think I'd have to agree."

After another moment of silence, Clay voiced the thought that seemed to be on each of their minds. "Funny how the Xiaolin temple seems to have a habit of turning out its own worst enemies."

Omi looked up at Raimundo. He seemed unable to hold the question back. "What was Chase Young's element?"

"Chase was water." Rai grinned. "Does that surprise anyone?"

"What is that supposed to mean, Raimundo?" Omi narrowed his eyes. "Are you suggesting I am like Chase Young?"

Jack sniggered again as Rai said, "no, Omi. Not at all."

"I betcha Master Monk Guan's element was fire." Clay smiled. "His temper is just about as short as yours, Kimiko."

"Hey, I do not have a short temper."

"And Dashi, obviously, was wind." Raimundo leaned back. "I was destined for greatness."

"Sure, Rai," said Jack, unable to hold himself back. "Destined for greatness. Remember, Dashi is the only one who's not still around."

"Yeah, but he's still the greatest." Raimundo's grin didn't fade. "So. I was thinking we could do some snooping and find out about the old witch's past. I'm sure Dashi would tell us if we insisted, but I don't want to bring up any bad memories." He frowned. "Anyway, no more than we already have. I figured we had plenty of resources available. I get the feeling this is pretty important."

"I agree," said Omi. "This is most troubling. I was unaware that other members of the Xiaolin temple had turned evil in the past."

"Maybe Wuya had some sort of situation similar to what happened with Rai?" Clay glanced up at their leader.

"Yeah, maybe that's why she thought to try and pull him away from us." Kimiko grinned over at Rai. "Of course, he didn't exactly make himself a difficult target."

"Hey, come on you guys, when are you gonna stop teasing me about that?"

Jack remembered the time when Rai had betrayed the other monks and helped Wuya to regain her physical body. For a short time, Jack had been forced to team up with the monks to help overthrow the all-powerful witch.

"Well, how do you suppose we should go about getting this information?" Clay glanced over at Jack "I mean, I guess we could go straight to Wuya and ask her…"

"I doubt she would tell us," said Raimundo. "If this was something she wanted us to know, she'd probably already have told us about it."

"Wuya is indeed most secretive." Omi narrowed his eyes. "We will have to trick the information out of her."

"Yeah, but how?" Kimiko tapped her chin. "We could ask her and then use the Mind-Reader Conch to get her reaction…"

Raimundo frowned. "I don't think that's gonna work so well. It's probably a long story and she's not an idiot. The Conch only picks up whatever a person is consciously thinking about. She could just not focus on it."

"Perhaps she would be more likely to tell her old accomplice?" Omi looked over at Jack. The others followed his gaze.

"Uh…I don't know…she might, if I ask her just right. She does love to brag about stuff. But…" Jack paused. "The thing is…I think Dashi might be wrong about this. Or possibly pulling our legs."

"What do you mean, Jack?" Kimiko frowned.

"Yeah, I was actually thinking the same thing." Raimundo nodded. "Except I don't think the problem is with Dashi. It's just a hunch, I guess, but I don't think Wuya remembers being a monk."

"Hey, yeah. That would make sense," said Jack.

"Why do you guys think that?" Kimiko looked back and forth between the two boys. "Couldn't she just be hiding it?"

Jack glanced at Raimundo, unsure of how to respond. "Well, for starters I had to explain to her who Chase was. I mean, she could have been pretending to not know him, I guess. But if she was then she's a much better liar than I thought."

"Yeah, and she doesn't use her element properly," said Rai. "It's like she knows she has earth powers but was never trained to use them right. If she'd trained with Dashi and the others…I mean…"

"I understand what you mean, Raimundo," said Omi. "Grand Master Dashi and Master Monk Guan are legendary. Two of the most powerful Xiaolin monks ever to live. And Chase Young…even though he turned to the Heylin side, his abilities are very impressive. Wuya must have learned something while training with them…"

"Unless she forgot about her training," said Kimiko, nodding.

"Well, we could always just ask Master Monk Guan, right?" Clay looked at Raimundo. "He's always been more than happy to help us out in the past."

"Yeah." Kimiko grinned. "We could just fly on over to his temple…" She paused, glancing at Raimundo. "Oh, right…well…"

"You guys should just go and I'll stay here. It's no big deal."

"No way," said Clay. "We are not leaving you alone here, partner."

"We should just wait until your wounds have healed," said Omi. Jack could tell the impatient little monk didn't like the idea.

"No, I think we should figure this out as quickly as possible." Raimundo leaned in close and motioned for the others to do the same. "If there's some way to turn Wuya back to the Xiaolin side we'll never get a better chance. I'm sure it won't take her long to escape from the temple basement. Honestly, I'm kinda surprised she's still there at all."

"Yeah, she has been acting weird." Jack didn't bother to give them details about exactly how odd Wuya's recent actions had been. Another guilty blush came to his face.

"Jack, do you think we could turn her away from the Heylin side?" Raimundo and the others turned to face him again. "I'd never considered it, but…giving you a chance really worked out. And if she used to be a Xiaolin dragon…"

"Based on those ideas we might as well try to convert Chase over." Jack rolled his eyes. "But…Wuya is acting strange. I dunno. Typically I'd say no, but…" He glanced away, cheeks warming. "I guess I'm glad you guys gave me another chance, so…"

Raimundo grinned. "Alright then; let's go for it."

"But we still can't just leave you here, Rai," said Kimiko.

"I won't be alone guys, don't worry." Rai shot a mischievous grin over at Jack. "Why don't the three of you go and Jack can stay here with me? He's injured too, so he should stay anyways. That way we can keep working on our training even while we're awake."

"But what if Chase attacks again?" Clay eyed Raimundo.

"I don't think he will." Jack didn't want to go on any sort of trip that kept him away from his invention. He needed as much time with it as he could get. "The only reason he sought Rai out in the first place was because you guys beat him. He feels like he's won for now, so he'll probably just hang out in his cave."

"Yeah," said Rai. "And while we're here we can ask the old hag about her past. Who knows? She might be able to give us some useful information after all."

The three monks protested a bit more, but Raimundo finally insisted. Omi led Kimiko and Clay out to find Dojo.

Raimundo turned to Jack after they'd left. "You gonna go back to wearing that thing?" He nodded toward the heli-bot Jack was still holding.

"Uh, well…" Jack glanced down.

"I think you definitely should. The whole 'Master of Evil' getup is a little much, but the heli-bot certainly has its uses. Especially if we're gonna fight Chase."

Jack nodded and strapped the device over his back. The weight felt comfortable on his shoulders. He grinned over at Raimundo, who was looking out the window. _He doesn't even care, does he?_

Pretending like his heli-bot reconciliation wasn't a big deal, Jack returned to the previous topic. "Are you really planning on talking to Wuya?"

"Oh, no." Rai grinned again. "I'm gonna have you do it."

"I…don't think that's gonna work out." Although there was no way Wuya could know that Jack had looked into her thoughts, the idea of facing her made him squirm uncomfortably. "Wuya's not exactly happy with me right now…"

"Yeah, well, she's never happy, is she?" Raimundo leaned back on his pillows. "But if anybody has a chance of getting information out of her it's you, her former cohort."

"Don't forget the 'former' part in there. And don't forget that it's my fault she's been locked in a basement for a week." Really, it made sense that Wuya would be furious at Jack. "And you're her former cohort too, aren't you?"

"Maybe we should both go." Rai grinned. "Gang up on the old hag."

"Oh yeah, that'll definitely get her to talk." Though he didn't want to go down and see Wuya at all, Jack preferred going with Rai to facing her alone. _At least I won't spontaneously confess any more secrets. Hopefully…_

* * *

><p>"<em>I can't believe this." Dashi threw his bandaged arms into the air. Then he winced. "How could four Wudai Warriors be defeated by one little kid?" <em>

_Wuya was sitting in the courtyard watching the three boys pace around restlessly. The temple healers had bandaged Wuya and the others up fairly well. Thankfully, Dashi's father had come to their rescue before they had sustained any serious injuries. The boy, Hannibal, had run off as soon as the temple's master had appeared. _

"_Well," said Guan, "maybe if Chase hadn't gotten in my way—"_

_Chase quickly cut him off with a sharp laugh. "Me, get in your way? Surely you must be joking, my friend. If anyone is the weak link in our team it's you, Guan. Your attacks are far too volatile. You should learn to control your element better."_

_Guan's eye twitched, and he growled at Chase. "I think you are mistaken, my friend." Wuya couldn't mistake the sarcastic emphasis on the last two words. "Your attacks are simply too weak. Perhaps I should teach you how to put some real power behind your punches."_

"_Calm down you two." Dashi's voice was an impatient snap. Wuya looked back at her friend. The young monk's irritation scared her. "We're going to have to work together to beat this foe."_

"_Oh, really?" Guan rolled his eyes, turning his frustration on Dashi. "I thought we would face him one at a time, Dashi. But your plan is much better."_

"_I agree." Chase turned his mocking smirk toward Dashi as well. "What a brilliant idea…"_

"_Hey, you two were the ones going at each other." Dashi raised his voice slightly, not quite yelling. "You obviously needed someone to tell you to stop."_

_The two boys started shouting retorts, each trying to drown out the other. Dashi snapped back at them, and within seconds the three were in a heated argument. Wuya sighed. Not wanting to wait for them to finish, she reached up and grabbed Chase and Guan by their wrists. Then she sent a glare at Dashi, who immediately went silent. _

_Wuya leaned in close, pulling the boys with her. Her voice was little more than a whisper. "Our loss was not owed to our own weakness. Our martial arts skills are not enough to defeat this foe."_

"_She's right." Dashi folded his legs and floated to the ground, using his element to steady himself. The others sat with him in a tight circle. "What was up with those weird abilities he used?"_

"_Yes." Chase nodded. "It was as though he was controlling some element unknown to us."_

"_He was using Heylin magic." The four monks looked over as the temple's master approached. Wuya and Dashi slid aside and made room for him in the circle. He sat cross-legged and nodded his thanks._

"_What are you talking about, master?" Chase's question was out of his mouth before the monk was fully seated, but their teacher didn't scold his impatience._

"_As the four of you use the elements of the earth, so too can others use supernatural abilities." Dashi's father smiled around at him. His serene manner calmed the four monks, despite the fact that his words were far from soothing. _

"_The most powerful of the supernatural forces in the world is Heylin dark magic. This force is wild and uncontrolled, offering the user great power at great price. Your elemental powers combined are its equivalent…in theory. But divided, you could never hope to face a Heylin sorcerer." _

"_But master, we combined our powers and tried to fight him already." Even now, Dashi didn't slip up and call the monk 'father.' "We couldn't even touch him. His magic is too strong."_

"_Yes, young monks." Dashi's father smiled down at them. "Your elemental powers combined could defeat him…but only once you have mastered them. At the moment you cannot hope to face a foe with abilities as advanced as this boy's."_

"_No," said Chase through clenched teeth._

"_But it'll take years to finish mastering our elements," said Guan, his voice much louder than it should have been when addressing their master. The fire monk's temper was typically short, but in this case Wuya could understand his frustration._

"_Master, we can't wait that long." Dashi's eyes darted in Wuya's direction. The boy calling himself Hannibal hadn't show up without a reason. Though he hadn't given specifics, his basic intentions had been quite clear. _

"_That boy might have caused difficulties for you children, but his abilities are not fully manifested either. The monks and I would have no trouble defeating him."_

"_But you can't be with us all the time." Dashi glanced again at Wuya. "You have your own duties, and so do the monks…"_

"_I don't want to hide behind you and the monks." Guan jumped to his feet, and Chase quickly followed._

"_I agree. I will not suffer the humiliation of being defeated by a mere child." The water monk's dark eyes narrowed as he looked over at Guan. Silently, they turned and headed toward the training grounds. _

"_Master, I…" Dashi looked up at his father. "There's something we didn't tell you about—" He paused, catching Wuya's quick headshake. _

"_Yes, my son?"_

"_Uh…nothing. Sorry, it's nothing."_

_The master eyed the two for a moment; then he stood and headed back into the temple. Dashi leaned close to Wuya, their heads almost touching._

"_Why didn't you want me to tell him? He could help us…"_

_When she spoke to Dashi, Wuya's voice was as strong as it ever got. "I am causing trouble for you. That boy was here for me. I do not wish your father to know that I am causing trouble. I…don't want to be a bother…" Wuya left out her unspoken fear—that the temple master might decide she was too dangerous to keep around._

_Dashi's laugher filled the courtyard, surprising Wuya. She was even more surprised to find herself smiling along with him. Dashi usually had that effect on her, though. When he was happy, she couldn't help but be happy as well._

"_Wuya, don't be ridiculous." Dashi wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up to him. She kept her eyes on the ground, hoping he wouldn't notice the pink tinge in her cheeks. "My father and the monks would never think you were being a bother. You're part of the team, Wuya, you know that. I thought you trusted us by now." He smiled down and wrapped his other arm around her. _

"_We are your friends, Wuya. We will always protect you." Dashi leaned back slightly and looked down into her eyes. "I will always protect you."_

_Wuya felt the slight sting of tears in her eyes as she clutched onto Dashi's clothes and buried her face in his chest._

* * *

><p>Wuya awoke to the sound of footsteps, and she was yanked from the dream back into the cold basement room. Sitting up quickly, she noticed, too late, that a tear was sliding down her cheek. Raimundo (who was in a wheelchair) and Jack (whose arm was still in a sling) certainly noticed as well. Both the boys were holding onto the Serpent's Tail and had apparently just slipped through the wall.<p>

The two warriors stared at Wuya for a short, frozen moment. Then she reached up and hastily wiped her cheek. The boys seemed to simultaneously find the walls and ceiling quite interesting.

"Yes?" Wuya's voice was sharp. Jack and Raimundo flinched and looked back at her quickly. "What do you two fools want?" She bared her teeth at them in an angry snarl.

"Well…uh…we came to talk to you…" Raimundo broke eye contact again.

"That much is obvious." Wuya crossed her legs and ran a hand through her long hair. She knew they wouldn't be fooled by her attempts to act casual, so she snapped at them again. "What did you want to speak to me about?"

Jack seemed to recover first. He approached the bed, though Wuya couldn't tell if he'd planned to sit down with her or stand over her menacingly. The boy also seemed unsure and ended up standing by the bed, shifting his weight from foot to foot. His voice was at least more focused than Raimundo's.

"Wuya, we want to know if you were ever a Xiaolin monk."

The question caught Wuya so off guard that she was unable to hide her shock. Raimundo spotted the look immediately. "So you do know something about it. You used to be a good guy, didn't you? You were a monk, weren't you?"

"An interesting idea." Wuya leaned back, forcing her face and tone back under control. "Where did you come up with that?"

"Well, that'll just be our little secret." Raimundo grinned. "Unless you want to give us some info first. How about a trade?"

Although the idea appealed to Wuya, she began inspecting her nails as though the conversation was boring her. Her response was casual.

"I'll think about it. Perhaps if I was given more suitable living quarters I'd be more willing to make deals with you, Raimundo." Wuya shot a mocking grin up at Jack. "You give little Jacky here a room up in the temple, why not me? Aren't I just as trustworthy as him?"

Raimundo rolled his eyes. "It's gonna take a lot to make me trust you, ya old hag. And for the record, I trust Jack with my life."

Wuya noticed Jack's involuntary reaction to Raimundo's words. The boy's cheeks turned slightly pink and a smile peeked out from behind his serious expression. Wuya almost smiled. Instead, she turned her attention back to the other monk.

"Yes, well, as touching as that is, I'm still not giving you anything while I'm locked down here. Aren't you the leader of your little gang now?" Wuya smirked over at him. "Why don't you get to it?"

"I'll talk to Master Fung." Raimundo returned Wuya's grin with one of his own. "Maybe we can figure something out. I'll let him know you deserve a reward for your good behavior."

Wuya scowled over. Raimundo winked back at her and motioned to Jack. After the two boys left, Wuya flopped back onto the bed. Emotions from her dream crashed into her as she tried to make sense of everything. Reaching up, she began running her fingers absently over the stone wall.

Again, the idea of Dashi as her protector was absolutely laughable. The arrogant Grand Master Dashi—the one who had imprisoned her. Wuya could clearly remember the look on his face when he had opened the puzzle box, thinking he would trap her forever with his clever little toy. _"It's time to send certain evil packing."_

Wuya pressed her hand into the stone before her. _"I will always protect you."_

The triumphant smirk was so different from her dream Dashi's loving smile. Could one have really become the other in so short a time? Wuya's dreams were quickly catching up to the point where her actual memories began.

Although Wuya was anxious to see where the two sets of memories would connect, she also dreaded the end of her happy dreams with Dashi. "Not like I have much left here," Wuya said to the empty cell. She couldn't—wouldn't go back to Chase. And she'd never get her powers back on her own.

Suddenly, Wuya realized that her hand had sunken several inches into the stone wall. With a small shriek of surprise, she yanked her hand up to her chest. In the wall before her was a deep indentation, perfectly fitted to Wuya's long, skinny fingers.

Realization slapped Wuya in the face. She sat up, staring down at her hand. "My Xiaolin dragon abil—" Wuya cut herself off, suddenly feeling like she might be reliving her past instead of just dreaming about it. Just outside her cell's tiny window she felt an approaching presence. Just like in her dream, she felt an involuntary twinge of fear.

Knowing who was on his way to pay her a visit, Wuya quickly sat up on the bed. She leaned against the wall, facing the window and hiding the handprint from view. Within seconds, Hannibal's faithful bird floated down into Wuya's line of sight on the other side of the bars. Hannibal was sitting on his back. Wuya couldn't decide if the tiny red creature looked more or less threatening than the little boy from her dreams. Based only on sight, both seemed equally laughable. But, of course, Wuya knew better. The sickening feel of each one's presence was identical.

"Well, hello there, baby." Hannibal hopped down into the cell. "Looks like you're in a bit of trouble."

Wuya didn't lean forward, but crossed her legs and looked down at her miniscule visitor. "Funny, that's not the way I see it. Hannibal, so nice to see you again." She squinted and pretended to search for him on the floor. "If it really is you, that is, and I'm not just hearing talking insects."

Hannibal chuckled, but Wuya could hear the irritation in his tone. The Heylin trickster was just as touchy about his pride as Chase. Maybe even more. And his physical appearance just screamed out to be mocked.

Fortunately, the monks had won the Moby Morpher (A shen-gong-wu that allowed the user to change his shape into whatever he wanted) from Hannibal some time ago. They had apparently been keeping it under closer guard than the other wu, because Hannibal hadn't been able to get it back. Although Wuya didn't like to side with the monks, she was quietly happy they'd been able to keep the Morpher from him. Hannibal was far too dangerous with that particular wu in his possession.

"So you don't need any help then?" Hannibal jumped up onto Wuya's knee. She held herself back from flinching as the revulsion in her stomach grew at his touch. "Cuz it looks to me like you could really use a friend right about now." Hannibal revealed his crooked teeth in a twisted smile. "Hope you aren't holding out for Chase to come and save you."

"Oh, I'm more than done with Chase Young." Wuya waved her hand, knowing Hannibal wouldn't even begin to believe her feigned nonchalance. "I don't need him anymore."

"Really?" Hannibal's smile stretched into a mocking grin. "Well, that is certainly good, sugar. You should really look into getting yourself some more loyal friends."

"Such as…?"

"Well, such as me, of course. I'm much more trustworthy than that Chase Young, you know that. I'm also much more powerful. And…" Hannibal was all but laughing aloud now. "I'm really all you've got right now, aren't I?"

Although Wuya hated the idea of relying on Hannibal, she certainly trusted him to get her out of the prison more than she trusted the monks to let her out. _But Raimundo does want that information. Will he really try and get the old monks to let me out? Will Jack try and help me? _Wuya wondered how much weight Jack's voice had in the temple. She knew Raimundo was now an important member. _But I can't trust him any more than I can trust Hannibal or Chase. He'll get what he wants and then throw me back down here. Can I trust Jack?_

Glancing down at Hannibal, Wuya realized that he probably didn't know about Raimundo and Jack's visit. _If he was traveling here on that bird he couldn't have been watching._ "I don't know about all that, Hannibal. Did you consider that I might be staying down here for personal reasons?"

Hannibal laughed, this time his tone was openly mocking. "And what might your business be in a Xiaolin prison?"

"Information, of course. The monks have something I need."

"And you think waiting as their prisoner is the best way to get it?" Hannibal shook his head. "I'm disappointed in you, Wuya."

"Well…maybe you could help me get what I want." Wuya leaned down to him.

"Excuse me?" Hannibal frowned. "I am no one's errand boy. I'll be helping you enough by breaking you out of here, so be grateful for that."

Anger flared in Wuya's chest. How dare he patronize me? _Little thief doesn't even have his own power, just steals from everyone around him_. She couldn't quite hide her indignation, and Hannibal's face split into a grin again. _He just likes seeing people suffer, doesn't he? _His expression was identical to the one the boy Hannibal had worn when he'd beaten the four monks in Wuya's dream.

Forcing a smile to her face, Wuya leaned back up against the wall. "Hannibal, why don't you answer a question for me. Where did you come from? You must have been human at some point. Or else you were created artificially. Have you always been what you are now?"

The questions seemed to catch Hannibal completely off-guard. He blinked; then narrowed his eyes. "Why this sudden curiosity? What do you know about it?"

Wuya turned her head to the side. "Why, whatever would make you think I know something about it? Why would I ask if I already knew?"

"You do know." Hannibal glared up at Wuya. "Tell me what you know, and that'll be my payment for letting you out of here."

"Didn't you hear me, Bean?" Wuya smirked down. "I'm here because I want to be, and I don't need you to break me out. As to whether or not I do know something about your past…guess that'll be my secret for now." Hannibal's reaction was all Wuya needed. He obviously didn't remember anything either, so he was useless.

"Now now, darlin', no need to make rash decisions. You know we make a great team. C'mon now…I have a lot to offer…" Wuya smiled, then reached down and flicked him across the cell room with one finger.

"You're so pathetic when you beg, Hannibal." Wuya leaned back onto her hands and watched Hannibal get up, his expression furious. "Get out. I told you I don't want or need you."

"You'll pay for this, Wuya." Hannibal jumped up to the windowsill and onto his bird. "You will regret making me into your enemy."

Wuya watched as Hannibal flew out of sight. She turned around, eyeing the handprint. _I don't need any of you anymore._

(Thanks so much for reading! Just wanted to give everyone an idea of this story's future. We are almost halfway done. Though the chapter boundaries keep changing, I do have everything planned out and written down in an outline. So I know about how long it's going to be. My plan is to be finished by the end of the semester (December fourth, if I want to be done before finals), because I'm wanting to get more serious about my own novel (for publication! I hope!).

This means I'll have to update more than once a week from now on. Sunday is my official self-instated deadline for each chapter. I WILL make sure to have a chapter by (or on) every Sunday from now on. If I want to finish on time, I'll have to do even better than that. If I can't manage to do more than one chapter a week (I do have school, work, other writing, and family stuff) then Christmas will be my backup deadline for completing this story. I will ABSOLUTELY submit the last chapter by (or on) December twenty-fifth.

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me! I'm really sorry my updates have been so sporadic lately. This story has given me the confidence to pursue publication for my original work. I've never written anything this long before, and it has really inspired me.

Again, please be as harsh as you can with comments. Everything you say helps me to improve, and I welcome criticism (no matter how harsh it is—really).

Thanks again!)


	9. The Times They Are AChanging

Chapter 9 – The Times They Are A-Changing

"Well…that was weird." Raimundo led Jack back down the narrow hallway, propelling the wheelchair with his element.

"Yeah, definitely bizarre. I was so sure she didn't know anything…"

"Guess you can't be right all the time." Rai grinned back over his shoulder. Jack was gazing up at the ceiling. One hand fiddled absently with the metal clasp that held the heli-bot's straps together across his chest. Raimundo found it a little weird to see Jack with an object that had come to symbolize his time with the Heylin side. On the other hand, Jack really seemed comfortable with it. "Hey Jack, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Yeah." Jack looked down. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could hook up some…er…sails to this wheelchair. It's kinda a hassle to push it around like this…"

Jack laughed. "Who knew you'd one day be asking for my intellectual talents? Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm not sure about modifying that chair, though. It'll probably be easier to just make a whole new one."

"Whatever you say." Raimundo headed outside into the training grounds. "You're the inventor-person."

"That's 'boy genius.' And didn't the monks say you had to go right back to bed? I'm pretty sure they don't want you out here…"

Raimundo threw a smirk over his shoulder. "Since when did you become mister obedient?"

"Who says I'm telling you to go back?" Jack quickened his pace and passed Raimundo. "Sure are taking your time, aren'tcha?" He waved back. "I think I'm gonna go on up ahead…"

"Hope you don't think you stand a chance against me just because I'm in this chair." Raimundo sent himself surging forward with a burst of wind. "I could beat you without legs _or_ arms, Jack."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that…"

"You two kiddies won't be seeing about anything." Dojo slid out from around some training equipment, a cup of steaming coffee in one green claw. "I knew it was a good idea for Master Fung to have me keep an eye on you."

"Aw, c'mon, Dojo." Rai gripped the wheels of his chair to stop himself. Jack slowed down also and stood next to his friend. "We were just kidding."

"Yeah Dojo." Jack grinned. "I'd demolish Rai if we really fought. You think I'm that much of a bully?"

"For some reason, I wouldn't put it past you." Dojo eyed the boys as Rai glared up at Jack. "So what were you two doing down there with Wuya? I doubt that was a casual visit."

"We just had some questions for her," said Rai. "Wait, shouldn't you be with the others? I thought they were gonna go visit Master Monk Guan."

"Oh, yeah." Dojo sipped his coffee. "I sent them in the Silver Manta Ray. No need for me to leave Master Fung's side if I don't have to."

Raimundo was halfway through rolling his eyes when the obvious answer to their problem occurred to him. "Dojo, you're old, right?"

"I beg your pardon?" The little green dragon placed his free claw over his heart. "That is highly—"

"No, no, I mean, you were around when Dashi made and hid the shen-gong-wu, right? And while he was training at the temple?"

"Fifteen hundred years is hardly 'old.' Kids these days…" Dojo took another sip of his coffee.

"Just answer the question," said Rai.

"Yes, of course. I remember when Dashi was just a little monkling, even younger than you kids." Dojo sniffed, his eyes watering.

"You never told us that Dashi was a chosen one like us."

"It never came up." Dojo shrugged.

Jack snickered. "You ancient types do seem to conveniently forget to let us in on stuff, don't you? You're like the Wuya of the Xiaolin temple."

Raimundo interrupted Dojo's protests. "So Dashi was the Dragon of Wind, like me, right? Guan was fire, and Chase was water?"

"That's right." Dojo raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that information?"

"Who cares?" Jack leaned forward. "Who was the Dragon of Earth? And, on that note, why are Guan and Chase still around while Dashi is dead? Did Chase kill him?"

"I think I'd be offended if that wasn't so funny. No way would Dashi have ever lost to Chase Young. Er…no offense, Raimundo. Dashi died of natural causes. No one could ever beat him." A blissful smile spread over Dojo's face. "He was the greatest warrior of all time."

"Oh yeah?" Jack crossed his arms. "Then why are the other dragons all still around and he's not?"

"Can we please stay on topic here?" Rai leaned forward in his chair. "Dojo, is it true that Wuya was the Dragon of Earth?"

Dojo blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing. "Where on earth did you get that idea? The hag, a Xiaolin monk? Is this some kind of joke, Raimundo?"

"It's not a joke, Dojo." Rai glanced at Jack while Dojo tried to stop laughing. Jack looked irritated.

"We happen to have gotten that idea from a more reliable source than an antique memory-challenged lizard." Jack glared over at Raimundo. "I don't see what's so hard to accept about this. Chase used to be a monk."

Ignoring Jack's frustrated outburst, Rai turned back toward Dojo. "If it wasn't Wuya then who was the Dragon of Earth when Dashi and the others were at the temple?"

"Uh…" Dojo frowned. "Can't seem to remember. Maybe there wasn't one?"

"Master Fung said the Dragons always reveal themselves together," said Rai. "There had to have been one."

"Well he or she probably just wasn't important. Certain members of each Dragon set always seem to outshine others. Or maybe they died early? Those were tumultuous times, y'know. If you're so interested in it why not just go check the temple records? The monks have been keeping track of all that stuff for even longer than I've been around."

"Hey, good idea." Raimundo grinned at Jack. "Why don't you run down and find the history on the temple members around that time. I'm gonna talk to Fung about Wuya."

"Master Fung is over in the meditation room." Dojo turned and slithered toward the temple, but kept speaking over his shoulder. "I'm glad you two have found something other than fighting to occupy your time. I don't want to have to baby-sit you."

Jack waited until Dojo was out of earshot, then turned to Rai. "You're really gonna let Wuya out?" He looked surprised, but not opposed the idea. "Thought she couldn't be trusted and all that."

"Well…" Rai frowned, trying to think of the right words. It wasn't that he trusted Wuya—he'd told her the truth. It would take a lot for him to have faith in her. But… "If we really are gonna try and get her to switch back to our side we're gonna have to start somewhere. She doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go, so I think we can convince her to stay here if we make her think we have something she wants."

"She might run off just to spite us, y'know. Might try and go back to Chase." Jack's expression clouded. Raimundo realized that Dashi had been right. Jack really did still care about Wuya, at least a little bit. More than a little bit.

"Well, yeah, but I think we're just gonna have to take that chance. After all, even if she does run off she's not really that much of a threat, is she?" Rai could no longer ignore the guilty twinge when he thought of Wuya locked up in the basement. "And if she does leave…well, it's better than keeping her down there, don't you think?"

Jack looked up, catching his friend's gaze. "That's awfully nice of you, Rai…who knew you had a sweet side?"

"Why are you so surprised? That's just the kind of guy I am." Raimundo grinned, then propelled himself toward the temple. "You are gonna get on making that new chair for me, right? This one is such a pain."

"I can only do one thing at a time, jeez." Jack rolled his eyes as he turned and headed toward the temple library. "You could really learn some patience, Rai."

* * *

><p>Although Raimundo had recently become fonder of quiet meditation than he had been in his early days at the temple, he still couldn't imagine sitting motionless for nearly as long as Master Fung did every day. The young monk rolled his chair into the meditation room and stopped in front of his old master. Fung didn't move, or even open his eyes, but Rai knew from experience that the old man was aware of his presence.<p>

Despite what Jack said, Raimundo had learned quite a bit of patience at the temple. Even Clay, who'd had seemingly limitless patience to begin with, usually left their morning meditations before Raimundo. So, even though Rai was anxious to speak to his master, he closed his eyes and slipped into a relaxed position. Raimundo felt his breathing fall easily into a deep, slow rhythm. Out of habit, he didn't pay attention to time while he meditated. He didn't know how long he sat before Master Fung spoke.

"Yes, my Sho-Ku warrior? May I be of assistance?"

Raimundo didn't open his eyes, but a small grin crept across his face. "Why so formal, master? Can't a guy just come and meditate?"

The old monk chuckled. "Raimundo, you have certainly grown into quite a wise leader. But I believe I know you better than that. You came here for a purpose."

"Okay, fine." Rai looked down and saw that Master Fung's eyes were open. He was watching his student and smiling. "I did have something I wanted to ask you about." Raimundo hesitated, again unsure of how to phrase his thoughts. "It's about Wuya." Master Fung's eyebrows rose slightly, but he didn't interrupt.

"Uh, well…did you know she used to be a Xiaolin monk?" This time, Fung's shock was more obvious.

"Where did you get that information, Raimundo? I believe you must have been misinformed. Wuya is one of the Xiaolin temple's oldest foes. She was Grand Master Dashi's mortal enemy. I…find it difficult to believe she was once a monk."

"I know it sounds weird, but just trust me, okay? I have it from a really reliable source." Rai wasn't sure if Master Fung knew that Dashi's spirit had been visiting him, and he didn't want to get into that discussion at the moment. The old monk nodded slowly and motioned for Raimundo to continue.

"Well. First of all, she's been down there for a while now. It's pretty obvious no one is coming to help her and…I just don't feel right leaving her locked up all alone. I know, she's an evil witch and I shouldn't feel bad about it. She deserves it and all, but…y'know…"

Master Fung nodded again, and Raimundo noticed his small smile. "So are you suggesting we simply let her go?"

"No, not exactly. I actually…was hoping we could give her a room here. Let her stay in one of the guest rooms."

Again, Fung's eyebrows shot up. "Raimundo…this is very different from allowing Jack Spicer to stay at the temple. The boy is relatively harmless. Wuya…with her knowledge of the shen-gong-wu…"

"I know, it's a risk and all, but…you've said that the best way to destroy an enemy is to make him into a friend. And that worked unbelievably well with Jack, so why not Wuya? Especially if she used to be a Xiaolin monk. If she's staying here maybe she'll start opening up to us. I mean, she can't be all bad, right?" Rai broke eye contact and gazed up at the ceiling. "No one's all bad. You've said that before, too, right? Even Chase Young has his good side.

"And if we can bring her good side out…who knows? Maybe we could even turn her back to the Xiaolin side. I think…" Raimundo looked back down at his master. "I know that Grand Master Dashi would have wanted this."

After a few moments of silence, Master Fung smiled and shook his head. "Raimundo, you have certainly grown. Though I'm not sure if you've become wiser or simply more optimistic." His smile vanished, and his expression darkened. "I hope your optimism is not ill-placed. I simply…do not want you to be disappointed, my son."

"I know. But I'll never know if I'm being falsely optimistic if I don't try my plans out, will I?" Rai smiled. "And it did work with Jack. You know that."

"Indeed." Fung let out a sigh as Raimundo grinned. "Very well. You understand that I will never hear the end of this from the other monks, do you not?"

"Yeah, I know." Rai turned his chair and started to head out. "But if my plan does work then you can shove it in their faces. Thanks a lot, master. I owe ya."

"Now get back to bed, Raimundo. You should not be up and wandering around."

"Well, good luck getting me to stop." Rai's voice was quiet, but he heard Master Fung chuckling as he wheeled out of the room.

* * *

><p>Omi was unsurprised to find the infirmary empty when he, Kimiko, and Clay returned.<p>

"Oh great." Kimiko turned and headed back out the door. "We really can't trust him to take care of himself, can we?"

"Well, he did say they might go talk to Wuya." Clay followed Kimiko, smiling at her frustration. "And he did say they might train some."

"I thought he meant he'd instruct Jack." Kimiko quickened her pace. "If he's fighting I swear I'm gonna kill him."

"Would that not defeat the purpose, Kimiko?" Omi frowned.

Clay chuckled, but Kimiko didn't respond. They didn't find Raimundo or Jack out on the training grounds and eventually had to ask Dojo where they were.

"What the heck are they doing down in the library?" Kimiko seemed relieved that Raimundo wasn't running around, but she didn't slow her pace as the group headed through the temple. The three young monks could hear their friends' conversation as they approached.

"No way, it doesn't look cool enough. Give it some designs and stuff on the side."

"I thought you wanted it to be as aerodynamic as possible? Aren't we going for functionality here?"

"That's rich coming from you. Remember those cheerleader bots? Oh, and that dude bot? And what about—"

"Okay, I get it. Just leave the designing to the expert, please?"

Kimiko opened the door, cutting off Raimundo's reply. Jack was sitting at the desk, leaning over a sheet of paper with a pencil in hand. Rai was leaning forward in his wheelchair and peeking over Jack's shoulder. Kimiko stepped in, and Omi slipped past her.

"What are you designing, Jack?" Omi stood on his toes and inspected the paper while Kimiko and Clay leaned over to get a look as well. At first, Omi couldn't tell what it was. The drawing wasn't at all artistic. It looked like Jack had sketched each line with a ruler or other strait edge utensil. However, Omi didn't see anything he could have used on the table. Jack only had the one pencil in his hand.

"Is that a wheelchair?" Kimiko put a hand on Raimundo's back. "It looks weird."

"Is that for you, Rai?" Clay smiled down. "Looks pretty fancy. Nice work, Jack."

"It's not even close to being done," said Jack, glancing over his shoulder. "And it's never gonna be if you guys don't stop crowding me."

"What are those?" Omi leaned even closer to Jack, pointing at the design. "Does it have wings?"

Jack placed a hand on Omi's head and shoved him away. "I said back off, chrome-dome. And yeah, sorta. They're more like sails."

"Oh, I get it." Clay held up a finger. "It's so that Rai can continue being as lazy as possible."

"Yep, that about sums it up." Rai grinned.

"Aw, Jack, this is so sweet of you." Kimiko leaned down and wrapped her arms around Jack's shoulders. The boy's cheeks went almost as red as his hair. "Thanks so much."

"Uh, well, it was Rai's idea." Jack's face didn't go back to its normal color, even after Kimiko let go.

"Yeah, it was my idea." Raimundo's voice sounded a little too indignant. Kimiko glanced over at him.

"But Jack is the one going through all the trouble. Especially when he ought to be training."

"It's not a big deal…" Jack's eyes dropped back down to the paper. "Something easy like this won't take too long."

Omi grinned, suddenly grasping the situation. "Raimundo is just jealous that he did not also receive a hug!"

Kimiko snickered while Raimundo glared over at Omi. "Shut it, shorty. Unless you're looking for a serious butt-kicking."

Grin widening, Omi responded in his typical blunt manner. "I would certainly like to see you try. Most especially in your current state. I would not even break a sweat."

"Watch it, Omi." Raimundo leaned forward in his chair. "Even like this, I'm more than a match for you."

"Whoa, calm down you two." Clay put a hand on Omi's shoulder to stop his reply.

"Yeah, Raimundo, you aren't fighting anyone. At least until your wounds have healed better." Kimiko shot a glare at Omi. "Stop provoking him."

"I was merely stating the truth." Omi crossed his arms. "It is not my fault that he is so easily—"

"So, Omi," said Jack, turning around suddenly in his chair. "What did that Guan guy say about Wuya? We talked to Wuya and Dojo."

"Oh, yes. It was most peculiar—Master Monk Guan could not remember who the Dragon of Earth was."

"Oh really?" Jack rolled his eyes and spun back around. "And he never considered that as being just a little bit weird? Seriously, what is wrong with you Xiaolin people?"

"Well, he did say that it was pretty weird." Clay shrugged. "Just said that he'd never really thought about it before."

"Yeah, he said he's been so focused on Chase and running his temple over the last…er…many years that he hasn't really even given Dashi much thought." Kimiko frowned.

"So, how exactly has this guy been alive so long?" Jack didn't look up from his designs.

"Uh, yeah, we asked him about that, too." Kimiko glanced away.

"Let me guess," said Jack. "He couldn't remember that, either."

Clay let out a sigh. "It's definitely strange…but really, if Wuya can't remember either I guess it's not all that surprising."

"Well, actually," said Raimundo, "we went and talked to Wuya, and I'm pretty sure she does remember something. Which is definitely weird, cuz even Dojo couldn't remember who the Dragon of Earth was at that time."

"Yeah, and look at this." Jack pulled up a scroll that looked like it could crumble into dust at any moment. Omi, Kimiko, and Clay leaned forward as he spread the paper open across the desk. A diagram that looked a lot like a family tree was drawn onto the scroll. Omi knew, from looking a similar scroll that had his own name on it, that the names were arranged in order of temple position and rank.

Omi had spent quite a bit of time looking at the ancient scrolls of his own temple. Dashi's name, of course, had shown up quite a bit at the top of the diagram. However, Omi realized, he hadn't looked much into Dashi's childhood. Since the temple Omi and the others lived in hadn't existed before Wuya's defeat, Omi realized that Dashi must have grown up somewhere else.

This scroll belonged to a different temple—one that didn't exist anymore, Omi realized. The four dragons' names were arranged in a diamond formation. There, in the spot he was used to seeing his own name, was Chase Young's name instead. Above that, replacing Kimiko's name, was Guan's, and to the right, instead of Raimundo, was Dashi. Omi had never seen the grand master's name written with no title or preface.

But Omi's gaze was drawn to the spot where Clay's name usually was. Instead of a blank spot, as Omi had been expecting, there was a small hole burnt through the paper. Omi could see Jack's schematics beneath the scroll.

"Okay, that is beyond weird." Kimiko reached down and touched the scroll. "How the heck did that happen?"

"Yeah, it's like someone just didn't want anybody to know…" Clay frowned.

"Perhaps the master of this temple did not want anyone to know that his student became an evil Heylin witch?" Omi pulled the scroll down for closer inspection.

"Oh, he was embarrassed about Wuya but didn't care about Chase?" Jack went back to his designs. "That doesn't make sense."

"I agree with Jack." The three monks turned to Raimundo. "This is definitely something else. There's lots of Heylin magic that causes memory loss. And I think we can figure it out…" Rai took a deep breath. "…with Wuya's help."

"Rai…you'd better not be suggesting what I think you're suggesting." Kimiko tried to catch Raimundo's eye, but he avoided her gaze. "You mean we should go down and talk to her, right? Please tell me that's what you mean."

"Uh, well…actually, I've already got a guest room set up for—" Raimundo was cut off by the other three monks' protests.

"Raimundo, have you completely misplaced your marbles?"

"Wuya'll turn on us faster than coyote in a hen house."

"Rai, you've got to be joking. Jack is one thing, but Wuya is dangerous."

"Gee, thanks a lot, Kimiko." Jack rolled his eyes. "I think it's a good idea. Wuya doesn't have anywhere else to go, which is probably part of the reason she's still down there."

"But will she not simply wait until the time is right to steal our shen-gong-wu?" Omi shook his head. "I do not think we can trust her."

"Well, we obviously can't trust her," said Rai. "That pretty much goes without saying. But the thing is, I think she'll play along and bide her time. She is definitely an opportunist. So as long as no better alternatives show up, she'll probably stick with us." Raimundo grinned over at Jack. "Especially since she doesn't have her default sucker available anymore."

"I'm still not sure, Rai," said Kimiko.

"Yeah," said Clay, "have you spoken to Master Fung about this?"

"Yup. He already gave his permission." Rai held up a hand, cutting off their surprised reactions. "Look, I know you guys don't like it, but this is what we're gonna do. We'll keep an eye on her and the wu. Trust me, okay?"

Omi expected more protests, but both Clay and Kimiko nodded. The little monk was a bit surprised. Although Raimundo was still the leader, Omi had assumed, for some reason, that the group would slip back into its old dynamic. Yet…the others seemed to obey Raimundo as quickly as they did before…

"Right," said Rai. "So now…all we have to do is convince Wuya."

"I don't think that's gonna be hard." Jack stood up, grinning. "I know she's more than sick of that little room. Probably missing her ghostly form more than she ever thought she would."

* * *

><p>"So…" Rai glanced over his shoulder as he led the others down the hallway toward the makeshift prison. "What do you think, Jack? You wanna just ask her, or should we all go in?"<p>

Jack slowed his pace, and Rai noticed a hint of panic rise in his eyes. "Uh. Well, you're the leader. You should ask her." Again, Raimundo wondered why Jack suddenly seemed so hesitant to talk to Wuya alone. Rai slowed down as well.

"Well, I was thinking you should just ask her. If anyone is gonna end up being her ally here it's probably you."

"I…guess so." Jack squirmed, not meeting Rai's gaze. "But still, I think you should be there. I'll ask her, though."

Raimundo nodded, letting the issue go. _Jack's entitled to his own secrets, isn't he?_ "Okay then. Everybody grab hold." Rai held up the Serpent's Tail and the monks gathered around.

When they entered the cell, Raimundo could tell Wuya had heard them approaching. She was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, fingers running absently through her hair. Wuya watched them warily, but Rai noticed that her expression was slightly different than during he and Jack's last visit. Hidden beneath her mask was a hint of the self-assured, victorious, queen-of-the-world Wuya. Rai frowned. That expression had been absent from her face for longer than her time as a prisoner. Though she tried to fake nonchalance and control, Wuya was almost laughably easy to read.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite little band of warriors." Wuya leaned back on her palms. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Jack hesitated only for a moment, glancing at the monks briefly. Then he walked over and sat on the bed next to Wuya. Raimundo raised his eyebrows. _I guess Dashi did say they were becoming friends…_

"Wuya, you said you might be more willing to discuss your past with us if we got the monks to let you stay up in the temple, right?" Wuya looked surprised, but she didn't interrupt.. "Well, we talked to Master Fung. There's a guest room available for you if you want it. You can stay with us at the temple for as long as you want." Jack hesitated, glancing over at Rai and the others. "If you don't want to stay then you're free to go. We're not gonna keep you locked up down here anymore."

Raimundo grinned, holding out a hand to stop the others' protests. _Very interesting, Jack. Is this a strategy to get Wuya to trust you? Or something else?_ Rai knew that Omi, Kimiko, and Clay respected him as a leader and would pretty much go along with his plans, provided they weren't too crazy. Jack, on the other hand…Raimundo realized, suddenly, that Jack didn't see him as an authority figure at all. _Probably a good thing. I don't think Jack does too well with authority figures._

"Is that so?" Wuya glanced over at the monks. Raimundo nodded, but didn't say anything. "Well, that's unusually sweet of you. May I ask why?"

"That's just how we Xiaolin monks are, Wuya." Jack leaned back, grinning slightly. "You should know that. So what's it gonna be? And no, there's no catch. We aren't requiring anything of you. But just as a warning, you'd better not try and make off with our wu."

"And just what's stopping me?"

Both Omi and Kimiko stepped forward, but Jack answered before anyone else had a chance. "I think your own common sense will. Or maybe your pride. Where are you gonna go if we close our door, hm? Back to Chase?"

Wuya's eyes narrowed. She didn't hesitate for long. "Very well. I will accept your invitation. But don't think this means that I owe you anything."

"I said that it didn't." Jack stood up and held a hand out to help Wuya up. "Welcome to the temple. Or should I say welcome back?"

"That's none of your business, Jack." Wuya stood up without taking Jack's hand. "I think I'll keep my past to myself for now. Until you've proven you deserve it."

"Whatever you say." Jack shrugged. "In addition to being kind and giving, we Xiaolin monks are also patient." Another grin crossed his face. "Some of us more than others, I guess."

"Great, now that we've got that settled…" Raimundo turned his wheelchair toward the door. "If you wouldn't mind, Clay? I'm really getting sick of traveling through the wall."

Clay nodded and stepped forward to remove the boulder from the door's pathway.

* * *

><p>"<em>Okay, I figured it out." Dashi no longer waited outside Wuya's tiny room, nor would he have been fooled if she pretended to be asleep. Wuya rolled onto her side, making room for Dashi on the mat. Tucked under his arm were a dozen or so scrolls. The parchment looked brand new, which told Wuya that this wasn't one of Dashi's wild chases after an ancient method for immortality. <em>

"_It's gonna take way too long to develop our powers, so in the meantime we'll need something to protect ourselves from that Hannibal kid, right?" Dashi sat cross-legged on the available spot on the mat and set the scrolls aside._

_Wuya nodded up at Dashi, amazed that something had finally drawn his attention away from his never-ending quest._

"_So…I'm designing these…er…artifacts." Dashi selected one of the scrolls and spread it out on the mat. "They're gonna use a mixture of the earth's energies and the wielder's energies." Drawn on the scroll was a curved sword. It looked Arabic—like a saber or scimitar. _

"_It just looks like a sword to me." Wuya leaned forward for a better look. Her voice, as always, was quiet. _

"_Yeah, well, they'll all look like normal objects." Wuya started glancing through the other scrolls. One looked like a giant metal glove that was balled into a fist. Another looked like a crystal ball. Others weren't as easily recognizable. "But they'll have special powers. This sword is a wind artifact. It'll be able to create big gusts of wind—tornadoes even."_

"_Can't you already do that?"_

"_But you can't. And combined with my abilities it'll be even stronger. These tools, if I can make them work right, will have more than enough power to defeat that little brat and anyone else dumb enough to get on our bad side."_

_Wuya looked up at him. "Have you spoken to your father about this?" The temple's master did not like it when his students tried to take shortcuts to gain strength._

"_No way, you know he wouldn't approve." Dashi looked down at the scrolls, his expression suddenly sad. "He just doesn't understand. He's already an invincible warrior. I'm just…we're just…" _

_Realizing that Dashi had never before been confronted with an enemy he couldn't beat or a force he couldn't overcome, Wuya reached up and touched his arm gently. When he met her eyes, she smiled. Then, like she always had in response to his wild theories about immortality, she decided to support him._

"_I like them," said Wuya. "But how are you planning on constructing them? They seem very complicated."_

_Dashi's eyes lit up again, and Wuya saw his inner child take hold as he began to explain his creations. He called them the Tools of God. _

(Whee! This marks the halfway point! Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me!)


	10. Dancing With the Enemy

Dancing With the Enemy – Chapter 10

Creeping out of bed early each morning had become so much of a habit that Wuya didn't bother checking anymore to make sure the monks were asleep in their beds. She slipped silently through the temple and out onto the training ground. The sky was still dark, but the sun would be rising soon. Though Wuya would never have admitted it to anyone, she loved the crisp morning air and cool, damp grass. She'd accepted Raimundo's offer only six short months ago, but Wuya had quickly grown comfortable with monk life.

When her feet fell upon the soft sand of the training ground, Wuya waved her hands down at the ground, twirling her fingers. A small amount of sand obediently leapt into the air, though only a few grains reached her outstretched palms. She stood still and planted her feet. This time, Wuya waved her whole arm, summoning the dirt with all of her might. But only a small handful of sand flew through the air.

"Why isn't it working?" Wuya gave the ground a kick and noticed, with a humorless laugh, that she could move much more sand that way. "Something's not right. The brats were able to develop their abilities much quicker than this. And…I could do it better before…"

The dream memories hadn't stopped, though they were more sporadic recently. Despite her best efforts to master her element in secret by using the teachings she was remembering from her childhood, her mastery over the earth was still elementary. Her powers would work extremely well sometimes…but Wuya couldn't figure out why. There had to be a pattern, she insisted. But if there was, she couldn't find it.

Although Wuya had been relying on her dreams to be her teacher, she quickly realized that the specific moments she remembered were rarely of simple training sessions. Instead, she mostly remembered helping Dashi create the shen-gong-wu and search for immortality. Though enjoyable, these memories did little to assist Wuya's attempts to master her newfound abilities.

Wuya dropped to the ground and crossed her legs. The position felt much more comfortable now than it had for the first month or so. She reached down and ran her fingers through the sand. She was now able to coax the sand into flowing up around her fingers. It twisted up through her palm like water that had escaped gravity's clutches.

"Hey Wuya. What's up?" The voice made Wuya jump, and the sand dropped to the ground. Raimundo rolled into her line of sight. His wheelchair, though not painted black, brown, or red, was very clearly Jack's design. Just like Dashi's "tools of god," Jack's creations all seemed to share a certain stylistic touch that was impossible to miss. Raimundo had asked Jack to create a chair that allowed him to move around without too much effort, and Jack had certainly succeeded. The wheelchair had extendable wings that not only allowed Rai to move around quickly, they even allowed him to fly.

"Raimundo." Even though she lived with them now, Wuya made sure she didn't spend any more time with the monks than she absolutely had to. "I didn't know you were awake yet."

"Yeah, remember that shen-gong-wu alert earlier? Dojo woke us all up. The others are still gone."

"That was hours ago. They haven't come back yet?" The new wu hadn't been too far away.

"I was wondering where they were, too." Raimundo pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Wherever they are, Kimiko doesn't have service." He shrugged. "I'm sure they're fine, though."

Wuya was quiet for a moment, but Raimundo didn't continue. "So what do you want, Raimundo? Just harassing me for fun?"

"Harassing?" Raimundo smiled. "I'm just talking. I figured with us living together we'd all have more chances to talk. Why are you always avoiding us, hm?"

"Just because we live together doesn't mean we're friends." Wuya sneered up at him. "What makes you think I'd want to talk to you?"

"Well, for starters, we have a lot to offer." Rai paused, waiting for her obligatory response.

Rolling her eyes, Wuya willingly took the bait. "All right, what do you have to offer? Just come out and say it."

Raimundo grinned. "I was thinking we could all train together." He continued quickly, cutting off her instant reaction. "Since you learned from Dashi and Guan you could probably teach us a lot."

"I learned with Dashi and Guan, not from them." Another sneer came to Wuya's face. "And that's something I can do for you, not the other way around."

"Yeah…but we could help you train, too. I'm sure Clay would have some tips for you, since you share an element and all."

Wuya tried to hide her surprise. The monks would obviously know about her elemental powers, she realized, suddenly felling quite foolish for trying to hide them.

"You don't have to sneak out here every morning to train, y'know." Raimundo leaned forward, grinning. "And it's just a trade of abilities and information. Not like I'm asking you to switch sides or anything. This is really to all of our advantages."

"I just doubt that you could give me anything worth the info I could give you." Wuya turned her gaze away from Raimundo's, hoping he'd buy her blatant lie. "After all, what could you pipsqueaks teach me that I haven't already learned with Dashi and the others?" Although, when she thought about it, Wuya realized that she had learned one thing that would be invaluable to Raimundo and the monks.

"I think you might be surprised," said Rai. "You'll never know if you don't give it a try, right?"

The sun had risen somewhat during their conversation, and before Wuya could respond, a shadow fell over the two of them. Glancing up, Wuya saw Dojo sliding through the air, heading down toward the temple.

* * *

><p>Omi watched the two tiny specks on the ground grown as they descended. Raimundo, sitting in his wheelchair, and Wuya, sitting on the ground, both shaded their eyes as they watched Dojo's approach.<p>

"Well, there's an unusual sight," said Clay. "Whadaya suppose Rai's doing talkin' to her?"

"Yeah, I thought Rai said we should just let her be," said Kimiko. Raimundo had indeed urged them not to bother Wuya when she snuck out every morning, though they had followed and kept an eye on her the first few times.

"It seems Raimundo does not bother to follow even his own instructions." Omi rolled his eyes.

"Well, he is the leader." Kimiko shrugged. "I guess he's allowed to change his mind."

Omi suppressed a scoff as he glanced behind him. Jack was leaning off Dojo slightly, trying to get a better look at the scene below. His expression, as was becoming more and more common, was unreadable. Omi wondered if he was the only one who knew about Jack's secret midnight trips into the temple library.

Raimundo waved at them as Dojo landed on the ground and shrunk to his usual size. "Hey guys. What took ya so long? I was about to head out on a rescue mission." He yawned and stretched. "Glad you're back, I wasn't really feeling like going anywhere today."

"Oh, ha ha, Rai." Kimiko walked over and held out the Ninja Sash they'd just brought back. "This one was a pain. Hannibal showed up."

Rai sat up straight, and Wuya turned her attention away from the artifact in Kimiko's hands. When the two spoke, it was in unintentional unison. "Hannibal?"

"Yeah," said Clay. "Been a while since he's reared his ugly little head. Seemed to really want this one for some reason."

"Oh, great. If Hannibal is interested it's got to be bad news." Rai took the wu from Kimiko's hands. "What does it do again?"

"The Ninja Sash allows the user to create doubles of himself. Up to two exact copies," said Wuya.

"So it's like the Ring of Nine Dragons?" Raimundo frowned. "But without the drawbacks? No wonder Hannibal wanted it."

"Yeah, that's the last thing we need," said Kimiko, shuddering. "Three Hannibals. Yuck."

"Who won it?" Raimundo glanced around at the group. "Did you guys have to fight a showdown?"

"I think he knows he can't beat us," said Clay. "Got there just before we did an' tried to run off with it. Yellow-bellied little rat."

"We had to chase him all over the place before he finally seemed to tire out," said Kimiko. "That stupid bird of his made him almost impossible to catch." She grinned over at Jack. "Good thing we had somebody in the air. Then once we finally cornered him he just dropped it and took off again." She shrugged. "So we just let him go. It was weird, though."

"I would much rather have fought Hannibal Roy Bean honorably in a showdown," Omi said. "He is most certainly nothing but a coward and a sneak."

"You're right about that, monk." Wuya's voice startled Omi. He'd almost forgotten she was there.

"Gee, Wuya, feels like it's been forever." Jack crossed his arms. "I almost forgot you were still here leeching off the monks." His tone held more bite than it usual. Omi noticed the dark circles under his eyes and realized that he probably hadn't slept yet. He usually waited until everyone else fell asleep and snuck out to the library. Then, after being gone for anywhere from one to five hours, he'd sneak back into his little room and pass out. Despite his insistence that he "wasn't any good without his twelve hours," Omi had to admit how impressed he was by Jack's ability to function on very little sleep.

"Well, I do apologize, Jack." Wuya leaned back and placed one hand over her chest. "I didn't know you missed my company so much." Jack rolled his eyes as Wuya continued. "On that note, I've actually decided to join you little monklings for your training sessions." Omi noticed Jack's eyes flicker in Raimundo's direction.

Kimiko and Clay wore their surprise openly. "Oh, really?" Kimiko barely masked the suspicion in her voice. "And why did you suddenly decide that?"

"Well, you are planning on defeating Chase, aren't you?" Wuya grinned. "Just think of it as an 'enemy of my enemy' type thing."

"That works for me," said Raimundo. "Anything we can do to help in that cause is more than welcome."

"Yeah, yeah, woo-hoo." Jack rubbed his eyes. "So are we gonna get started or what?"

"Are you kidding, Jack?" Kimiko looked at him like he'd just suggested that they skydive without parachutes. "We should go sleep at least a little more."

"Don'tcha wanna at least rest a little bit, partner?"

"Jack is correct, my friends," said Omi. He was tired too, but he also wasn't about to seem weak or lazy in front of everyone. "We should take every opportunity to improve our abilities. Especially since we have a new…er…training partner?" Omi's voice was hopeful as he glanced over at Wuya, who rolled her eyes.

"All right, let's stop yammering and get to it." Jack turned and headed over to one of the obstacle courses. "So, Wuya," he said without turning around, "what kind of ancient wisdom do you have to honor us with?"

Wuya hopped to her feet and followed Jack. Omi and the others followed her. "I'm not sure you really deserve it with that attitude. Why so grumpy today, Jacky?"

Jack's back stiffened. He stopped for a moment, like he was going to offer a retort. But then his shoulders slumped. "No reason."

The group was quiet for a moment as Jack approached the beginning of the course and stretched his arms. Finally, Raimundo broke the silence.

"So, Wuya…what was Chase like as a kid? I can hardly imagine it."

"Yeah, Wuya," said Kimiko. "Why don't you tell us about your time at the temple?"

"Oh, yes, I would very much like to hear about Grand Master Dashi's years of training." Omi hurried forward to the beginning of the course as well.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Jack frowned. "Wuya, why didn't you ever tell me that you already knew Chase?" When she still hesitated to respond, Jack turned to face her. "Look, Wuya, you don't have to be like this. They don't bite, I swear. What are you so afraid of?"

Wuya narrowed her eyes and strode forward to stand between Jack and Omi. "I am not afraid of anything, Jack. If you absolutely must know, I've only started remembering my past involving the Xiaolin temple. I didn't tell you that I'd known Chase because I didn't remember that I had."

Nodding, Jack turned back toward the course, which was made up of moving bamboo poles that stuck straight out of the ground. "I thought so. I knew you weren't that good of a liar." He leapt onto the nearest pole and balanced on one foot. "So where are these memories coming from? Did you hit your head or something?"

Omi leapt onto the course as well, and Wuya crossed her arms. "Obviously not. I've just started…remembering. Well…I've been experiencing past events while sleeping."

Raimundo's voice came from the sidelines as Kimiko and Clay joined Omi and Jack on the course. "That's weird. It's got to be magic-related. How did you lose your memories? Some sort of spell, right?"

"I don't know yet. The memories started with the day I joined the temple as a young girl. I'm experiencing them in the same order they happened."

"Yeah, this reeks of Heylin magic," said Rai. "Were there a bunch of Heylin sorcerers hanging around in the past? Maybe one of them did it?"

"Hey, uh, not to interrupt or anything," said Clay, "but are you gonna get over here an' train or what?"

Omi glanced over and saw Rai motion toward the course. Wuya hesitated again, but only for a moment. She continued speaking as she jumped onto the course.

"As far as I know there's only the one. I think you can guess who it is." Wuya moved from pole to pole with a graceful elegance that surprised Omi. Since when was Wuya graceful? For the first time, Omi was completely convinced that she had once been both a member of the Xiaolin temple and a Xiaolin Dragon.

The others seemed to mirror his thoughts as they watched Wuya dance around the course. Only Jack seemed unimpressed. He fell into step with her as easily as he would have with any of them. Again, Omi frowned.

"I'm guessing Hannibal Roy Bean?" Clay chuckled humorously. "Little guy just doesn't give up, does he?"

"Actually," said Wuya, "you'll be interested to know that it was just Hannibal Roy back then. He was…well, I wouldn't exactly say human, but at least he wasn't a bean."

Again, Raimundo spoke from the sidelines. "Whoa, no kidding? So he wasn't always a bean after all, eh?"

"Obviously," said Jack. "Where did you think he came from? A bean mommy and daddy?"

"Shut up." Raimundo glared over. "I just thought…I dunno. Like he was more of a force of nature or something."

"Yeah, well, he felt like that even back then," said Wuya. "There's definitely something wrong with him."

"So what about Grand Master Dashi?" Omi dove into the conversation. He didn't see the point in discussing Hannibal. Learning and talking about Chase was one thing—he was a real threat. They had defeated Hannibal quite easily many times in the past, and his feeble attempts to gain shen-gong-wu were almost laughable at this point.

"What about him?" Something in Wuya's voice seemed to change, though Omi couldn't tell what or why.

"What was he like? I am certain he was an incredibly powerful and noble warrior even at our age. He was probably just like me!"

Wuya rolled her eyes. "Sorry to break it to ya kid, but other than your admirable humility, I don't think the two of you are all that similar."

"What? Are you saying Dashi was not a powerful and noble warrior?" Omi almost missed the pole he was aiming for.

"I don't think that's what she's saying, Omi," said Raimundo.

"Dashi was a brat," said Wuya. "An arrogant fool who sought short-cuts to end his problems. He was competitive, optimistic, short-sighted, over-excitable, childish…" Her voice grew softer as her words trailed off. For a moment, no one spoke as they continued training. Again, Raimundo broke the silence.

"And what about Chase? Omi said that the good Chase he met in the past was really different from the Chase we know now."

"Different in some ways, I suppose," said Wuya. "He was still arrogant, short-tempered, and competitive."

"The Chase Young I met was quite honorable," said Omi.

"But Chase is honorable now," said Jack. Then, as an afterthought, "Only when it suits him, I suppose."

"He is certainly an opportunist," said Raimundo, chuckling.

"What were you like, Wuya?" Jack paused, balancing on one foot, and looked at Wuya. "You must have been really different. In fact, I bet you've changed the most, right?"

Immediately, Omi saw Wuya's expression close back up. "Actually, I have something much more interesting than silly stories about the past," she said. "A new set of techniques that I know you've never learned before."

"How d'you know we haven't already learned them?" Clay shot Wuya a grin. "We happen to know a lot of stuff we've never show to you before."

"Because we invented these techniques. And I'm certain that they didn't get passed down to the next set of dragons."

"Ooh!" Omi flipped a little closer to Wuya. "Techniques created by the great Grand Master Dashi himself. Yes, we are very interested. Please impart upon us some of your ancient wisdom, Wuya?"

Jack smirked over. "Boy, you sure change your tone quick, don'tcha, cheddarhead?"

"Well," said Wuya, "I actually can only teach the technique to you, Clay. The four of us developed our own unique methods that utilized our elemental abilities. That's how I know they weren't passed down. Only we could have taught our techniques to the new dragons."

"That's sure a bummer for you guys," said Clay. "Wuya'll teach me hers and Kimiko could probably ask Master Monk Guan, but you two are pretty much out of luck."

"But, Raimundo can simply—"

Raimundo cut off Omi's indignant protest loudly. "Yeah, we're really screwed, huh? Too bad. I bet those techniques are really cool, too." Omi remembered, suddenly, that the five of them had agreed to keep Raimundo and Jack's training with Dashi a secret from Wuya for a while. Omi glanced at her, but she gave no sign of suspicion at his outburst.

"Yes, actually, the reason I bring it up," said Wuya, "is that these techniques are all worthless to the user himself. They have very limited use, really. They can only be used on other Xiaolin Dragons to enhance some part of their abilities."

"I don't understand," said Kimiko. "What do they do?"

"And what is the point of even having an ability that one cannot use on himself?"

"The point would be teamwork, Omi," said Raimundo. "I think I can see where you're going with this, Wuya."

"For example," said Wuya, "the earth ability that I developed would enhance my teammates' physical strength. But not only would they become stronger, they'd also receive a significant increase to their constitution. They could fight for hours, maybe even days, without getting tired. And, most importantly, their bodies could withstand a much higher degree of pain."

"Impressive," said Raimundo. "It's like a shen-gong-wu ability…"

"Except it can't be taken from you," said Kimiko. "Wow, that's really cool. What was the fire ability?"

"Guan's technique was…a little different. While ours were more focused on protecting each other, his was much more aggressive." Wuya grinned. "Dashi wasn't happy when he explained it to us. But Guan argued that the best defense—"

"Is a good offence." Kimiko smirked. "He's right. Smart guy."

"So his ability was fairly simple. When one struck an enemy, that enemy would experience an illusion of intense pain. I never felt it myself, but not even Hannibal could withstand it."

"That seems pretty cruel, don'tcha think?" Clay frowned.

"It's just an illusion," said Kimiko. But Omi noticed the uncomfortable look on her face.

"And Dashi's? What was his?" Raimundo was leaning forward in his chair.

"Dashi's was more like mine, but a little different. It granted an increase to speed and dexterity. But one also became very light. Moving and jumping were practically effortless. It was the closest any of us ever came to flying without the help of shen-gong-wu. Except Dashi, of course."

"Cool," said Raimundo, leaning back in his chair. "Woulda been nice to have known about these sooner."

"What about Chase Young?" Omi squirmed. "What was his ability?"

"I bet his was just as cruel as Guan's," said Kimiko.

"Actually," said Wuya, "his was the one I knew would interest you all the most." She paused. "But I'm not sure I should just tell you about it for nothing."

"What?" This time Omi did miss the pole he was aiming for. Catching himself on the ground, he turned and glared up at Wuya. "You told all of them. And you even agreed to teach Clay."

"I didn't agree to any such thing." Wuya grinned and hopped to the ground, landing gracefully.

"Why don't we have a little contest for the information, Wuya?" Jack landed next to her, smirking. "A spar between the two of us? If I win, you tell us."

A quick look of panic crossed Wuya's face. "Well, I wouldn't want to humiliate you in front of your little friends, Jacky. I suppose I'll just tell you. Not like you can do anything with the information anyway." Jack's grin widened, and he motioned for Wuya to continue.

"Chase's technique didn't enhance any abilities—it healed any wound or illness." Wuya paused as this information sunk in. Kimiko and Clay hopped down from the course and landed with the group. "Not only that, but we tested it on some of…on some scars, and it healed those as well." She pushed her hair back and grinned. "That ability could definitely fix Raimundo's little problem."

* * *

><p>That night, Wuya again slipped through the silent temple. Despite his obvious exhaustion, Jack had snuck out of his bed and down to the library again. Wuya made her way to the library entrance and leaned up to the closed door. From inside came the familiar sounds of a scratching pencil and Jack's incomprehensible muttering.<p>

Wuya had only been at the door for a few moments when Jack spoke to her.

"You gonna stand out there all night? Just come in." His voice, as it had been all day, was tired and irritated. Wuya opened the door and walked in. Jack was seated at the desk with his back to the door. He didn't turn to face her.

"What's up, Wuya? Still stalking people, I see." Jack waved a hand over his shoulder.

"And I see that your mood is still directly related to your little inventions." Wuya walked over and looked down at the desk. The schematic Jack was working on was so covered in scribbles that she couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be. "Not working out the way you wanted?"

Jack shot look up at Wuya that was half glare, half pout. "I just can't get it to…it's just so…it just…" He let out an angry sigh and fell forward, head hitting the table with a heavy _thunk_.

"I knew this was why you were in such a bad mood." Wuya lifted herself up onto the desk and crossed her legs. "I must say, I'm quite impressed with this newfound work ethic of yours." When they'd worked together, Jack had typically given up on projects that frustrated him too much. Of course, there weren't many of those.

"Can't quit." The table muffled Jack's voice. "Never done something like this. Trying to use Xiaolin energy manipulation. Combined with technology. Hard."

Wuya laughed. Before she realized what she was doing, Wuya reached forward and put her hand on Jack's head, running her fingers through his faded red hair. Jack didn't react. Wuya figured he was probably too tired to care at the moment. She didn't pull her hand away.

"Perhaps if you got more sleep?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, and Wuya wondered briefly if he'd fallen asleep. Then he tilted his head to the side and looked up at her. "Were you telling the truth about those powers you guys had?"

"Why would I make them up?"

"I dunno." Jack gave a lazy, half-shrug. "Your brain works in weird ways sometimes. Maybe you felt like you had to have something to trade us so we'd help you with your earth powers."

"Now that's just…I wouldn't…" Wuya's voice trailed off. She realized that Jack must know her better than she thought. It did seem like something she'd do. Maybe even without intending to. Not out of any sense of fairness, but simply because it was hard for her to believe in any relationship that didn't involve dishonesty. If she wasn't the one tricking them, it seemed obvious that they were tricking her. Wuya didn't like being the one who had the most to lose in any situation.

And, though Wuya hated admitting it, the monk's teachings had been unbelievably helpful. She'd learned more today than she had in her months of self-teaching. Raimundo was a good trainer. And Clay was very patient when he explained the basics of elemental manipulation. Even more surprising, the monks rejoiced in her successes just as much as they rejoiced in their own. They were encouraging. Friendly.

"Yeah, I was telling the truth." Wuya had enjoyed developing the techniques with Dashi. They'd worked together, but without Chase and Guan. It wasn't that she didn't like the two other dragons, but…time spent just with Dashi was…more enjoyable, somehow.

"I see." Jack sat up, and Wuya pulled her hand back. "Well, I guess that's good? I dunno, Wuya. There's no way we're gonna get Chase to teach his healing technique to Omi. He's the one that hurt Rai in the first place."

The monks had spent most of the day discussing potential ways to approach Chase. They'd suggested and discarded countless plans and had finally decided to sleep on the issue. Ultimately, of course, Jack was right. What could the monks possibly offer Chase that would convince him to change his mind?

"I think the others are right, Jack." Wuya hopped down from the desk and slid Jack's chair away from the desk. "You're not going to figure anything out by agonizing over it on no sleep. And the same goes for your invention. Go to bed."

Jack looked up at her with unfocused, bloodshot eyes. "Kay."

* * *

><p>"<em>Dashi, we've been out here all day." Guan's tone was quickly shifting from bored to irritated. "Where is it?" Wuya was actually impressed that he'd made it this long with only mild complaints. And even though Wuya believed that she had an impressive amount of patience for Dashi's escapades, even she was growing annoyed. Apparently, so was he.<em>

"_We should have found it by now." Dashi glared down at the map in his hands. "It's not my fault. This map was recorded incorrectly."_

"_Obviously." Chase rolled his eyes as he pushed aside some tree branches and motioned them through. "The great Dashi couldn't have made a mistake."_

_They'd been wandering through the densely forested area (which was gradually becoming more swamp-like than forest-like) for hours. Dashi had used the creation of his newest shen-gong-wu, the Crouching Cougar, as an excuse to go out and search for his favorite immortality lead. The cougar artifact was supposed to make jungle travel easy, but the trees had become too thick for the large, cat-shaped vehicle to navigate. _

"_This has got to be our fifth trip out to find this stupid flower-thing of yours, Dashi. Just give it up. It doesn't exist." Guan leapt over a puddle. _

"_It does exist." Dashi glared over. "I have more than enough evidence to support—"_

"_Sorry, Dashi, but I must agree with Guan," said Chase. _

"_You guys don't understand. You haven't done all the research that I have—"_

"_No, we haven't wasted all the time that you have," said Guan, voice beginning to rise. "I don't understand why this is so important to you anyway, Dashi. What's the point? Just give it up."_

_Dashi opened his mouth to protest, but Chase cut him of again. "Again, I must agree. Man is not meant for immortality, Dashi. I had hoped you would grow out of this odd desire of yours."_

"_Yeah, grow up, Dashi. It's not going to happen."_

_Wuya reached up and placed a hand on Dashi's back. "I am sorry, Dashi, but…" He turned to face her. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, almost pleading._

"_It is going to happen. It is possible."_

_Guan rolled his eyes. "No it's n—"_

_For the first time, Wuya heard Dashi scream. "_Yes it is!_"_

_Chase and Guan turned to face Dashi, their shock evident in their expressions. Wuya pulled her hand away and stepped back instinctively. Instantly, Dashi's expression changed. He reached out for Wuya cautiously, as though reaching for a frightened animal. _

"_Wuya, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" She took his hands, her momentary fear gone. Dashi had the right to be angry too, she scolded herself._

"_It's okay. I'm not scared."_

"_Dashi, what was that?" Guan walked over, and Chase followed him. _

"_What are you not telling us, my friend?" Chase frowned. "Why is this so important to you?"_

_Dashi was quiet for a moment, and Wuya could tell he was trying to find a way out. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her cheek against his chest. _

"_We love you, Dashi. You don't have to be afraid." Wuya smiled up at him. "Isn't that what you always tell me?"_

"_Well…I…it's just…never come up, so…it's not like I was afraid, I just…"_

"_It's coming up now," said Guan._

"_It's selfish. You're going to think I'm selfish."_

"_We're all selfish, Dashi," said Chase. "You know that."_

_After another moment, Dashi let out a sigh. "My father told me, when I was younger, before any of you came to the temple, that I was…different. That I was…er…chosen. But not like, chosen to be a Xiaolin Dragon. Well, that too, obviously, but… He said that my soul is tied to the Xiaolin temple in a way that yours aren't. _

"_When I die, my spirit won't pass on. I'll stay here." Dashi's tone held a bitter note that Wuya hadn't heard before. "My father said it was a great gift. See, I was given this ability so that I could help train future members of the temple, even after death. I'll be able to help future Xiaolin warriors on their paths…forever."_

"_But isn't that already like immortality?" Guan frowned. "How is that different from what you're looking for?"_

"_I won't be able to appear to anyone who isn't a Xiaolin warrior. And I'll only be able to communicate with them in their sleep." Dashi paused. "And when they aren't sleeping, or when there aren't any warriors to train…I'll just sit there in darkness and wait."_

_Wuya tightened her grip as silence stretched between them._

"_So I figure I'll just make myself immortal instead." Dashi laughed. "I'll still be able to train future generations, and I won't have to be bored while doing it. Everybody wins."_

"_How does your father know exactly what's going to happen?" Chase shifted from foot to foot. "He might be wrong."_

"_Well…I don't think so," said Dashi. "The thing is…my dad is the one who gave me this gift. He said I'd understand when I was older and all, and it's not like I blame him or anything, but…I'd just like to find a solution that works better for everyone. I don't think it's really a big problem. I'm sure there are tons of methods for finding immortality in the world. I just need to find the one that works for me."_

_Chase and Guan were quiet. Wuya quietly grappled with an emotion she'd never felt before. Her stomach twisted, and she felt her cheeks grow hot. She gripped onto the back of Dashi's robe tightly and wondered how he spoke so kindly to his father every day. _

_Wuya knew she'd never speak kindly to the man again. _

(Okay, sorry for all the author's notes, but plans have somewhat changed. I'm going to be participating in NaNoWriMo this year. [For more info, do a web search. Basically it's an event where you write a book—at least 50,000 words, in thirty days. It's gonna be awesome.] Which basically means I'll be writing a freaking ton during November.

I'm going to try my best to keep up with updates, but I'm shifting around my due dates a bit. Final day for completion of the project is December eleventh. If all goes well, I'll be submitting the last two chapters that day. Thanks for sticking with me everyone!

Also, a note on the title of this chapter…I just wanted to clarify that the "Dancing With the Enemy" song I'm thinking of is by a gentleman named Jeremy Warmsley. Weird name, I know, but I do encourage you to look up the song and the music video. I really like it. Thanks again!)


	11. Photographs and Memories

Chapter 11 – Photographs and Memories

Although their official training place with Dashi in the dream world had become the temple training grounds, when Jack met Dashi alone it was always in the old lair. For a moment, his grogginess seemed to carry over. Jack sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to remember the walk with Wuya back up to his room and hoping he hadn't fallen asleep on the way.

"Long time no see, Jack. Welcome back." Dashi was sitting cross-legged on a nearby table. Dashi's expression hovered somewhere between detached boredom and mild irritation.

"Long time no see? I only missed one night." Jack could tell that his snappish bad mood hadn't disappeared when he went to sleep. Not that he'd really expected it to. His frustration was due more to his invention than his lack of sleep. He'd been able to create the invention he'd been designing before coming to the temple, and it worked beautifully. Jack would have been thrilled with his creation in the old days. He was even confident that it would have won him quite a few showdowns.

Unfortunately, the problem came when he tried to modify it to help Raimundo. Jack hadn't expected fusing technology with energy manipulation to be easy, but he'd hoped it would actually be possible.

"You know how much we could have gotten done in that one night?" Dashi hopped down from the table. "Never mind, I have something to talk to you about. I've already spoken to Raimundo about it."

"Oh, goodie." Jack leaned back in his chair, lifting the two front legs off the ground. "I'm sure this is gonna be a blast."

"First of all, Raimundo wants to know what it is you've been working on in the library."

Jack felt his heart jolt. "Uh…the library? Um, I don't—"

"Don't even try to play dumb with me. I can see what you've recently seen when you show up here." Dashi gave Jack a stern look. "And you're insulting Raimundo by acting like he doesn't know. It's not nice to keep secrets from your friends."

"Oh, that's rich coming from Raimundo." Jack felt his frustration growing into full-blown anger. "He still hasn't let me in on his little secret either. And might I remind you that his secret is about me."

"Calm down." Dashi held up both hands. "I reminded him of that fact, and he said he was surprised you hadn't figured it out yet. He figures that you must be doing research while down in the library. And I did give you that hint."

"What hint? Telling me that I can find answers in the library is completely useless." Jack threw his arms back, almost losing his balance. "Not like I have time to look for that stuff now anyway."

"Yes, I told him you were working on something else. And he said he wants to make a trade." Dashi smirked. "I think the curiosity about your little project is really eating at him. He'll tell you his secret if you tell him yours."

"Gee, how sweet of him. He treats me just like Wuya." Jack rolled his eyes, but the offer was too good to resist. And the best part was that he wouldn't even have to tell the whole truth about his creation. He'd omit the parts that he didn't want Rai knowing just yet and thereby keep his own failings a secret. "So how are we doing this? Using you as a go-between?"

"Well, Raimundo thinks that I'll be able to explain his secret better than he would. So yes, that is the plan." Irritation returned to Dashi's face. "I suppose I'm now your messenger boy as well as master."

"All right, well, why don't you go first?" Jack grinned, his mood lifting. He'd recently been too preoccupied to worry about Rai's secret reason for inviting him into the temple. But that hardly meant he didn't care anymore. "Since I've been waiting so long and all."

Dashi rolled his eyes. "So impatient. Very well." The room around them shifted and Jack winced, preparing for the piercing sunlight that always followed. But instead, dim moonlight fell down upon them. The sand beneath Jack's feet was familiar, but they were not on Raimundo's beach. They were completely surrounded by sand. Jack turned to Dashi, about to ask where they were, but the old master held out a hand and motioned for Jack to be seated.

Once they were sitting across from one another, Dashi spoke. "As you know, all things in the physical world are made up of the four elements. And the four elements are complementary—equal opposites of each other. Perfectly balanced." Jack nodded. He didn't get many element-speeches from Master Fung, for obvious reasons, but he at least knew the basics.

"And, as should be obvious, the four elements are most powerful when combined. This is why the dragons always appear together and can only function to the best of their abilities when working together." Dashi reached down and traced a diamond it the sand, drawing the symbols for each element in the corners. Jack was reminded of the ancient scroll that had a burned hole instead of Wuya's name.

"The four dragons call on Xiaolin energy, what you might call positive energy, the energy of creation and the physical world, to fuel their powers. The powers Raimundo and the others use. Do you understand?" Again, Jack nodded.

"The opposite of Xiaolin energy…" Next to the diamond, Dashi drew a Yin-Yang symbol, shading in one half. "…is, of course, Heylin energy. One might call this negative energy, or the energy of destruction and the spiritual world. One might also call this evil energy, in which case one would be displaying their own ignorance."

Jack frowned. "But, the Heylin side is evil, isn't it?"

"The people who use Heylin magic, Hannibal, Chase Young, and, to some extent, Wuya, have used its power incorrectly and for evil purposes, yes. But the energy, and the powers it grants, is not inherently evil."

"But you said it was the energy of destruction," said Jack. "Destruction's pretty evil, isn't it?"

Dashi smiled, and the expression was much warmer than usual. "All destruction, including death, is part of a cycle. Didn't you watch Disney movies as a kid? Circle of life and all that?"

"I guess so." Jack looked back down at the symbol. Dashi's speech didn't make much sense. Not only did it go against his, and the Xiaolin temple's, belief of the battle of good versus evil, Xiaolin versus Heylin, it also seemed to render his commitment to either side pretty pointless. Again, Dashi seemed to have mind-reading abilities.

"This doesn't, in any way, diminish the battle of good versus evil. Heylin energy often does lend itself to evil deeds. Obviously it is much easier to do wrong with the power of destruction than it is to do right. You must simply understand that no energy of the earth is evil. Nor is any person evil. Only actions and decisions can be right or wrong." Though he didn't completely understand or agree, Jack nodded.

"Also, you must understand that Xiaolin and Heylin energies flow through everything in the physical world, living and nonliving. People have both Xiaolin and Heylin energy running through them. And almost everyone has more of one than the other.

"So, the point of all this is, and I want you to know that very few people other than Raimundo and myself have fully understood the implications of this idea, that just like the complementary elemental powers are used together to their fullest extent, so can a person balance the Xiaolin and Heylin energies within them."

"You're talking about the balance of good and evil?" Jack had found a few scrolls on the topic, but they mostly offered methods of finding inner peace. He was pretty sure inner peace had nothing to do with Raimundo's reasons for inviting him into the temple.

"Yes and no. That's where Raimundo got the idea. But the balance of energies has to do with increasing your strength, speed, and other physical abilities. Even though you don't have direct control over either Xiaolin or Heylin magic, you do have both running through your body." Dashi leaned back, smiling. "It was quite astute of Raimundo to notice that your energies are very even. Your Xiaolin and Heylin sides are almost exactly equal."

"So…" Jack frowned. The whole concept seemed far too abstract. "That means that…what does that mean? Exactly?"

"It means that, as Raimundo pointed out, you have the potential to be stronger than any Xiaolin Dragon. Even stronger, possibly, than a team of dragons. Certainly stronger than a Heylin sorcerer."

Jack was silent for a moment, trying to understand everything Dashi was saying. Ultimately, he realized, Dashi was basically saying nothing at all. "But…what good is potential? I'm not stronger than anyone. I bet Wuya'll be passing me up any day." Jack flopped backward into the sand and shut his eyes. "Raimundo was wrong about me. So were you."

"We aren't wrong. In fact, you've just brought up a very interesting example. Wuya, for a while, before she…" Dashi hesitated, seeming to realize, too late, that he was stepping into territory he usually tried to avoid. "Before she turned to the Heylin side she was the strongest member of our dragon team. By far. In fact, she could probably have defeated the three of us at once, if she'd wanted to.

"Wuya's energies were, like yours, very balanced. Though I didn't know it back then. She wasn't as competitive as us. She…I'm sure this is difficult for you to imagine…" Dashi chuckled. "But she was very quiet. Sensitive. Thoughtful. Her abilities were far beyond ours, but she didn't let it show because she feared she'd upset us."

"You're right, I can't imagine that at all." Jack grinned. He looked up at the stars and wondered if they, like his basement, were exact replicas of the real stars. "So she was…her energies or whatever…were like mine? Guess we're more alike than I thought."

Dashi didn't respond. The two were silent for a moment until Jack could no longer hold the question back. "What happened? How did she…lose her memories? How did she turn evil?"

Again, Dashi was silent for a moment. Finally, he let out a quick, humorless laugh. "I think you're going to figure it out soon enough. From the sounds of it, she's getting pretty close with her little dream-memories."

"But she's not going to tell me. She doesn't trust us." Jack pushed his hair back and pulled off his goggles. He'd only noticed recently how much the design on them resembled Wuya's eyes in her ghostly form.

"Just because she doesn't trust Raimundo and the others doesn't mean she doesn't trust you. I think you'll be surprised." Dashi sighed. "Tell you what…if she doesn't tell you soon then ask me again, okay?" Jack nodded.

"All right then, it's your turn to let us all in on your little secret." Dashi leaned back, grinning again.

"What? That's it? Raimundo wanted me to join the temple just because of that?" Jack sat up. "That can't be all. I've waited so long to figure it out."

"Too bad. That's all there is to it." Dashi laughed. "Maybe you shouldn't over-think Raimundo's motives anymore. He realized your potential and didn't want to see it wasted. Of course…the idea of having an extremely powerful warrior on his side was probably pretty appealing." Jack didn't protest any further, though his indignation didn't fade. Even if he did somehow become a great warrior, why would Rai want to help create a warrior who could potentially outshine him?

"So?" Dashi glanced up at Jack. "Your invention?"

"Oh, right." Jack pulled the goggles back on. What did it matter, really, what Rai's motivations were? The point was that he'd believed in Jack. They all had. He suddenly felt a little bad about the abridged explanation he was about to give Dashi.

"Okay, so, Wuya told us about you guys' special techniques you made up and how they enhanced your physical abilities? Well, I'm creating an invention that does basically the same thing. Except it affects only the user, obviously." Jack paused, wondering how much information he should reveal. It had to be enough that Dashi and Raimundo would believe it and not be suspicious. "It enhances speed, strength, agility, and even perception of your enemy's movements. It basically makes you unstoppable."

"So what is it, exactly? A tool of some sort?"

"No way." Jack chuckled. "I learned from your mistakes, old man. Anything outside the body could be stolen and used against me. I guess I should be calling it 'them,' really. I was gonna call 'em my Nano-Jackbots, but since I don't really use that sort of terminology anymore…"

"So you're just using more robots?" Dashi frowned. "To make yourself stronger?"

"What's with the tone of disapproval?" Jack narrowed his eyes. "It's just like you guys' 'special techniques' and the shen-gong-wu. And you invented both of those, didn't you? I think you're just jealous that my idea is better." Jack leaned back on his palms and grinned. "Can't be stolen and doesn't depend on anyone else's help."

"Depending on others isn't a drawback. I'd think you'd know that by now. And I was young when I created the shen-gong-wu. Too young to see them for what they were—a crutch. The only strength you can ever really depend on is your own."

"Gee, why does that sound familiar?" Jack almost wanted to explain that his invention _did_ rely on his own energy, his own power. But it didn't. Not yet, anyway. "Oh yeah, Chase Young, the other resident hypocrite. He talks about 'inner strength' all the time, but he cheated too, didn't he? Took a shortcut with that soup of his?"

"I know it sounds hypocritical, but just trust me. Crutches and shortcuts…they'll only disappoint you in the end. Using your own skills, your own power, is the only way to find true strength."

"Who cares if my strength is true or not? As long as I'm strong enough to beat Chase and anyone else who wants to mess with me then that's all that matters. What does it matter where my power comes from?"

Dashi sighed. "Well, fine, don't listen to me, your master, the greatest warrior who ever lived."

"You obviously weren't that great." Jack glared over. "After all, even though you're supposed to be so much better than your teammates, you're the only one who's not around anymore, aren't you?"

* * *

><p>When Wuya woke up, her younger self's fury still gripped at her heart. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, restless, desperate for someone on whom she could take out her anger. When she started to jump up off the little mat, however, Wuya almost smashed into Jack, who was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room.<p>

Instead of a meditative position, Jack was lounged out on his side. He managed to grab the papers he had laid out in front of him and roll to the side, barely avoiding Wuya's wild vault from her bed.

"Jeez, watch it, Wuya!" Jack glared up at her from the floor, holding the papers against his chest protectively. "You have a nightmare somebody forced you to wear real clothes or what?"

"Jack. What are you doing here?" Although Jack seemed like the natural outlet for her frustrations, seeing him calmed her for some reason. "Sneaking into my room to spy on me while I'm sleeping?"

"Oh yeah, totally." Jack sat up straight and set the papers (which, unsurprisingly, were more of his scribbled schematics) back on the floor. Wuya noticed that he had something else clutched in his hand—the yellow goggles he used to wear almost everywhere. "Because I totally care what you do in your sleep."

"Then what are you doing?" Wuya crossed her arms.

"I was waiting for you to wake up. Don't see what the problem is. After all the times I woke up to you hovering right above my face." Jack leaned back on one hand. "Or even worse—remember all those times you wanted me to wake up—"

"But you were so shockingly lazy that you put earplugs in?" Wuya forced back a grin.

"Yeah, a genius needs his sleep." Jack shuddered. "And I really, really did not appreciate you phasing through my head in order to wake me up."

"That is one of the few things I miss about my old body." Wuya dropped to the floor in a slouched position. "So why were you waiting for me?"

"Uh…" Jack glanced away. "I wanted to know how you'd feel about paying Chase a visit."

"To ask him about teaching Omi? I think you guys already pointed out the flaws in that plan." Wuya smirked. "And I thought Raimundo said you'd decide what to do as a group? Don't want to disobey your fearless leader, do you?"

Jack met her eyes briefly before turning his gaze down to the papers in front of him. "He may be the dragons' leader. Who said he was mine?"

Wuya raised her eyebrows, and her surprise was genuine. She'd wondered about Jack's specific feelings toward the others, though she didn't doubt his loyalty to them. "Well, well…" She leaned forward, grinning. "Are you suggesting we should go see Chase on our own? In secret?"

"Not exactly." Jack leaned forward as well, and Wuya suddenly felt like his co-conspirator once again. This time, however, the dynamic of their relationship certainly felt different. "I was thinking that we—" He paused, tilting his head toward the door.

With nothing more than a glance, Jack warned Wuya of the monks' approach. She quickly grabbed one of his papers and leaned back on the bed while he stuffed the goggles into his robe. He'd just pulled a pencil out from behind his ear when the door opened.

Omi was glancing over his shoulder as he walked in, listening to Kimiko's disapproving voice tell him not to intrude on a woman's privacy.

"Wuya is not a woman." Omi waved a hand back at her. "She is a Heylin witch. There is a big difference."

Glaring over the paper at them, Wuya said, "Heylin witches are people, too. I thought you Xiaolin monks were supposed to see the beauty in everything?"

"Eh…well, yes, of course, but…" Omi struggled as Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo followed him into the room.

"No need to try so hard." Wuya rolled her eyes. "My brand of beauty may be a bit too much for you, little monk."

Raimundo cut off Omi's rebuttal. "Okay, I'm pretty sure this is not what we came here to discuss." Wuya saw his eyes dart to the papers in their hands. Although he didn't say anything, she could tell he wondered what they were doing together. "So. What did we all come up with?"

"I got nothing." Clay sighed. "Sorry, Rai, I just can't imagine Chase handing over the power to fix what he did to you."

Kimiko lowered her head. "Yeah, I couldn't think of anything, either." She clenched her fists. "Except for just beating it out of him."

Raimundo grinned. "You know we can't—"

"Why not?" Jack interrupted. The others looked at him. "I mean, it's worth a shot, right?"

"Well, even if one of us were strong enough to beat him," said Raimundo, "that wouldn't exactly be right, would it?"

"That would not work anyway." Omi crossed his arms, looking a bit offended. Wuya chuckled. Even after all Chase had done, Omi still couldn't help but see the good in him. "Chase Young would not surrender out of self-preservation or fear."

"That's not what I meant, exactly," said Jack. "What if one of us challenged him to a fight and made him promise to teach Omi if he lost?"

The others thought for a moment, but Raimundo shook his head. "None of us are strong enough to beat him one-on-one. And he'd definitely ask for something if he won."

"I could defeat Chase Young," said Omi, puffing out his chest. Wuya wondered if he was just acting tough or if he really thought he could do it. Sometimes it was hard to tell if the little monk was foolishly brave or just plain foolish.

"Well, why don't we just go ask him if he'd be interested in a deal like that and what his conditions would be?" Jack collected his papers, taking the one out of Wuya's hand. "Couldn't hurt, right? He probably won't just try and kill us if we go over there. Hopefully."

Raimundo frowned. "I dunno…it doesn't seem like a great idea to me. I don't want you guys going out of your way for this." Wuya caught Jack's slight eye-roll. "And I definitely don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Well, why don't I do it?" Jack grinned around as the others looked at him. "Like you said, Raimundo, Chase won't be expecting it. He'll definitely make the deal, thinking I'll be easy to beat."

"Uh, no offense, partner, but…"

"You will be easy to beat." Kimiko finished Clay's hesitant objection.

"I agree. If anyone will be facing Chase Young it must be me." Omi smiled at Jack. "But I mean no disrespect, Jack Spicer. You are indeed a powerful warrior."

"Gee, thanks" Jack looked at Raimundo. "Well, Rai's the leader. What do you think?"

When Rai didn't answer immediately, Wuya felt a sudden sense of panic. Visiting Chase with Jack would be one thing; he wouldn't just arbitrarily attack them. But if Jack challenged Chase to a real fight…

"Wait." Wuya held up a hand. The others turned to look at her, surprised. She avoided Jack's irritated glare. "I actually just got some new information that you all might be interested in." Wuya hated giving anything away for free, but she certainly wasn't going to let Jack get himself killed.

"In my memories, Dashi and the others have been trying to find a certain…er…artifact. I suppose I should say energy source. It's actually a plant. Called the Flos Laverna I know it sounds strange, but this plant blooms every hundred years. The first person to approach it once it has bloomed is granted one wish."

"No stranger than anything else we go through," said Raimundo. "Interesting. And Dashi was looking for it? Did he find it?"

"Well…" They'd been searching for the plant for months, studying ancient scrolls, making maps, going on quests, and coming back empty-handed. Yet…even Wuya had to admit that the information they'd found on it seemed legitimate. "No, not yet. However, I feel that we are close. Once we locate it in my memories, I can lead you to it now."

"Yeah, but you said it only blooms once every hundred years?" Jack frowned. "What if it's not the right time?"

"No, it blooms one hundred years after it was last used," said Wuya. This had been one of Dashi's fears as well. "Then it remains in bloom until someone comes along and makes a wish. I guess it used to be a big deal a really long time ago. People would search for it and fight over it."

"I dunno," said Jack. "That still sounds kinda sketchy. And you guys haven't even found it? Maybe it doesn't even exist."

"Well, maybe we should just wait and see if Wuya remembers finding it," said Clay.

"Yeah, I hate to make you wait, Rai, but I think that's a good idea." Kimiko gave Raimundo an apologetic look.

"But even if they do find it…" Jack looked more irritated now. "How do we know it's okay to use? I mean, something like that has Heylin written all over it. Wishes don't come free, y'know."

Wuya glared over. "Do you just want to get killed by Chase or what?"

Jack glared back, but Raimundo cut off his reply. "I understand you're excited to fight Chase, Jack, but we shouldn't go looking for a battle we don't need to fight.

"Fine." Jack rolled his eyes. "But can't we just go talk to Chase? We might be able to work something out, you know how weird he can be." Jack glanced at the others. "Omi should come with. You know how Chase is about him. He's always wanted Omi to be his apprentice. I bet Omi is the perfect person to convince him."

Omi beamed. "This seems like an excellent idea. After all, it is likely that Chase Young feels sorry for what he did."

"Uh, yeah, I doubt that, Omi," said Rai. He reached up and rubbed his temples. "Okay, fine. You two have fun. But do not challenge him to any fights, okay? That means both of you. We don't need more members of the team stuck in wheelchairs."

Both boys nodded, and Wuya grinned at the subtle look of triumph in Jack's eyes.

"Also, you guys should take the Silver Manta Ray." Raimundo turned and headed for the door. "I don't think Dojo is safe around that guy."

* * *

><p>"Okay, yeah, I just gotta get some stuff ready before we go. You guys wanna meet at the vault tomorrow morning? Alright." Jack closed the door after the four monks had filed out. Then he turned and shot a glare at Wuya. "What was that about? My plan was perfect. Why'd you butt in like that?"<p>

"Your plan only works if you have someone strong enough to beat Chase." Wuya leaned back on her palms. "Are you saying you think you can beat him?" She smirked. "He'd flatten you in seconds. Just like last time."

Jack thought he'd grown immune to Wuya's brutally honest jabs, but apparently his time in the temple had made him sensitive again. Wuya and Rai were right. Jack did want to fight Chase. He'd never been particularly patient, and the many months he'd spent training had worn out what little fortitude he'd had to begin with.

Of course, even with his training and new invention (which couldn't help Rai, obviously, but would still help him quite a bit), Jack was more than a little apprehensive to fight Chase again. His wounds from the fight with Chase were completely healed, yet he sometimes thought he could feel strange, phantom pains from the worst of them. And he'd gotten off easy.

Making Raimundo's wheelchair (which had taken mere hours to design and less than two days to build) had served as a reminder of what Chase was capable of. It had also reinforced Jack's resolve to never, ever lose the use of his legs. Even Raimundo, who had his element to help him, was severely limited by his injury. Jack, who, of course, had no element, knew that he'd probably just give up on his training if something like that happened to him.

"Well…maybe I can beat him. Maybe you should have more faith in me." Jack's voice was laughably feeble, even to himself. And Wuya did laugh.

"Very funny, Jack. Just give up." Wuya's tone was even harsher than usual. "Chase is so far out of your league that you might as well be trying to travel to the moon."

Jack blinked. Then Wuya's age dawned on him. He tried, and failed, to stifle his laughter. Wuya eyed him, curious and a bit irritated. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"Traveling to the moon? That's your thought of the impossible? With all your magic? And everything the shen-gong-wu are capable of?" Jack laughed harder as Wuya's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Yes. Well." Wuya glared, trying to mask her embarrassment. "Dashi wasn't ever able to create… He tried, but… What is so funny about that?"

"Wuya, humans landed on the moon years ago." Jack snickered at the look of surprise on Wuya's face. "It's really not that impressive. In fact, I could make a ship that could go there within a few weeks. The only problem would be energy, and—"

"_Really?_" Wuya sat straight up, eyes wide. Her voice's pitch was high, almost a screech, but this time it wasn't in anger. Jack laughed again, and this time his tone was much warmer.

"Yeah, really. It's sure weird to see you this worked up about anything science-related." Jack smiled. "You really want to go?" Wuya's expression was calm again, but her cheeks were even redder than before. She nodded, apparently not trusting her voice. "Okay, well, we can go right after we get Rai's legs fixed, alright?"

"Yes." Wuya leaned back on her palms again, not meeting his gaze. Her tone held forced nonchalance. "That's fine, I suppose."

Jack forced back another bout of laughter as he gathered up his schematics. This was certainly a side of Wuya that he'd never seen before. He couldn't remember her ever being excited about anything that didn't involve world domination. But then, Wuya was still very much a mystery.

A small blush came to Jack's face as he once again remembered Wuya's unwitting confession through the Mind-Reader Conch. Then he realized, again feeling stupid, the reason Wuya had been against him fighting Chase.

"Wuya, I…" Even now, with the proof right out in the open, Jack was embarrassed to ask the question aloud. "You brought up that Flos Laverna thing to stop me from fighting Chase, right?"

Immediately, Wuya's guard went up. "Why would you think that? Maybe I was just trying to be helpful."

"I don't think you had any other reason." Jack didn't bother pointing out her excuse's obvious absurdity. He braced himself for her derisive laughter. "You did it to protect me, didn't you?"

Wuya was quiet for a moment, her face still a mask. Then, she let a small smile slip out. She didn't meet his eyes as she spoke. "Well, yes, of course I did. You're no good to me dead, are you?" She folded her hands before her. "You're still mine, you know that. Even if you are useless."

Jack was glad she wasn't looking at his face as he felt his cheeks turn hot. Although her words weren't very different than they'd been in the past, her tone and meaning were vastly changed.

Although Jack wanted to reassure her, to tell her about his abilities and invention, when he opened his mouth, unbidden words tumbled out.

"I want to beat Chase. I want to make him pay for what he did to Rai. I want to show him that I'm not worthless. I'm not a coward. I'm not weak." Jack looked down at his hands, which had balled themselves into fists. His knuckles were scarred, and his fingers were calloused. They were so different, he realized, than the hands he'd used to build the bots that fought for him.

"But maybe I am weak. I'm still afraid." Jack looked up and found Wuya's eyes on him. "I don't want to get hurt again. I don't want to end up like Rai. I…don't want to die. Chase wouldn't hesitate to kill me, y'know?" Jack laughed. "I'm nothing to him. An insect. A worm. What if I'm really not good enough to beat him?"

"Guess I'm not talking to the right person here, huh?" Jack sighed. "You don't think I can beat him. Obviously. But listen, I have this invention. The one I've been working on. And it'll help me. So don't worry about me, okay?

"We may not be on the same side anymore, but I still promise not to disappoint you." Jack grinned and sat up straight. "After all, have I ever let you down before?"

Wuya laughed. "Only in everything you've ever done."

"Well, this time will be different." Jack leaned forward and his smile widened. He felt more confident, for some reason. "I promise that I will not get killed by Chase, okay?"

"Alright, well, if you're so sure…" Wuya smirked. "Let's make a little wager. On your newfound Xiaolin honor. If you lose another fight to Chase, you will come back to the Heylin side. Not only that, but you will become my dog again." Wuya leaned forward and ran a long, skinny finger under Jack's chin. "You'll do whatever I say, even fight your friends. And you will help me achieve world domination. Understand?"

Jack grinned again. "Okay, but you'll have to come with us to see Chase. Just in case. I mean, the guy can be unpredictable. Never know what'll happen."

Wuya chuckled. "Alright. Just in case."

* * *

><p><em>Unlike the other areas they'd searched for the Flos Laverna, this landscape wasn't particularly difficult to navigate. The pine trees were sparse, and the temperature was fairly mild. At first they'd traveled in the Crouching Cougar, but, unfortunately, the maps they were following only gave them a general idea of the plant's location. Eventually, they'd decided to split up.<em>

_Wuya didn't mind the mountainous terrain. The earth shifted to meet her bare feet, making her trek practically effortless. Dashi, she thought, was probably faring just as well. He could make himself surprisingly light when he wanted to, shifting the effort of lifting his body onto his element._

_Chase and Guan, however, were probably not enjoying the hike nearly as much. In general, Guan only liked excessive effort when a solid goal was in sight. And Chase, Wuya knew, would be having the worst time of them all. The water dragon functioned best in areas, unsurprisingly, with lots of water. The high altitude and thin air was no doubt becoming quite a nuisance to him. _

_Of course, Wuya knew that the other two boys cared very much about helping Dashi. He was their close friend. And now, since his father's announcement a few days ago, he was also their leader. Although everyone knew that Chase and Guan had both desperately wanted the leadership position, and the Sho-Ku warrior robes and status that came with it, they seemed to have accepted their loss. Wuya doubted that they'd have been quite as compliant if the other had been chosen. _

_All three boys, and Dashi's father, had been astonished when Wuya had refused the position. Dashi, of course, had been completely sure that he would be the one his father chose. Yet, when the old monk announced that Wuya had been chosen, Dashi hadn't seemed upset at all. In fact, he seemed almost more excited than he would have been if he'd been chosen. Wuya had actually felt bad refusing the position. The only reason she'd stayed at the temple at all was because she knew that her friends needed her. She wasn't about to accept any sort of reward or promotion from Dashi's father. _

_The old monk had tried multiple times to approach her about her decision. He'd tried to ask her about the sudden silence and coldness she directed toward him. But no matter how much Dashi tried to change her mind, she refused to speak to their master. _

_However, Wuya couldn't bring herself to leave the temple altogether. She wanted, more than anything, to help Dashi achieve immorality. She'd even come to accept that she'd probably be happy spending eternity with him. But first, she needed to find Dashi's flower._

_Wuya only had a vague idea of what the Flos Laverna was supposed to look like, Dashi had found very little on its physical description, yet she knew it immediately when she saw it. The terrain was barren, with only a few patches of vegetation, and the flower's dazzling white petals easily caught Wuya's eye. _

_Approaching the flower, Wuya felt her thrill of excitement grow, threatening to take control of her. The world around her seemed to blur, seeming dull and dreary compared to the sharp, brilliant white light that radiated from the Flos Laverna. Feeling dazed, Wuya pulled out the Thorn of Thunderbolt—a shen-gong-wu that shot lighting. She pointed it at the sky and used it to signal the others._

_While she waited for them to arrive, Wuya couldn't help but stare at the beautiful plant. She knelt down and leaned up to it. As she moved closer, Wuya could feel the power radiating from the flower. The energy seemed to almost sing, beckoning her closer. _

"_Wow, is that it? It's pretty." Chase's voice came from behind her, but it was quiet, hardly noticeable over the flower's song. _

_Guan's voice quickly joined his friend's, though Wuya could hear it no better. She didn't turn around, but instead reached down and cupped her hands around the flower. She wanted to be closer. It felt so warm. "Excellent, Wuya. I can't believe that's what we've been looking for. It's so…tiny."_

"_Did you…Wuya…you found it…" When she heard Dashi's voice, Wuya finally turned around. He was staring at the flower, eyes wide. _

_When Wuya spoke, her voice also sounded distant. She wondered if her words were slurring together. "Make the wish, Dashi. You can finally do it." Her heart pounded, excitement flooding through her veins. _

_Dashi shook his head. "No, you've got to do it. The one who finds it first is the only one who can make the wish." He smiled and motioned for her to go ahead. Looking back, Wuya would realize that something had felt strange. A distant, nagging feeling tugged at her heart, quietly asking for her attention, completely overpowered by the flower's song._

_Wuya turned back to the Flos Laverna. She cupped her hands around the flower again and realized her hands were shaking. Her quiet voice trembled as she made her wish._

"_Give the four of us eternal life."_

_Wuya had been expecting some sort of display, something to show that their wish had been granted. What she got was a bit disappointing. The white petals turned black as though they'd been dipped in ink. Then, as though time was suddenly flying by, they shriveled and wilted. The flower's song vanished. The world suddenly became clear again. _

_And Wuya felt the familiar, overwhelming, sickening source of evil that stood behind her. She spun around, expecting to see the boy, Hannibal, standing there. Instead, she saw only her three friends. But Dashi's face was split into a vicious smirk._

_For a moment, Wuya didn't move. Didn't even blink. She stared at him, brain feeling almost as sluggish as it had under the Flos Laverna's influence. Chase and Guan leapt away from Dashi, apparently realizing that something wasn't right. They wore matching looks of confusion. When Dashi spoke, Hannibal's grating voice came from his lips. _

"_Well, I certainly owe you monks a great debt now, don't I?" Hannibal's laugh echoed through the mountains. He reached down and slid up the black sleeves of Dashi's robe, revealing a set of identical metal forearm covers. Wuya recognized them immediately. The Mobi Morpher was one of Dashi's newest shen-gong-wu. It was one of his favorites. He loved to imitate Chase or Guan and try to trick Wuya. Of course, even though the disguise was visually flawless, she could always see through it. He'd had it with him when they'd split up to search the mountains. _

"_I really must thank you, darling." Hannibal's stolen eyes were locked on Wuya. "If it weren't for you I never would have found that little flower. And even if I had, I wouldn't have used it myself." His grin twisted across Dashi's face, and Wuya's stomach lurched. But still, she couldn't look away. "Wishes never work out just the way you want them to, do they?"_

_Chase and Guan lunged simultaneously, both shouting incomprehensible threats. Wuya didn't move. Couldn't move. Couldn't think. She watched Hannibal easily repel her friend's attacks. Once they were both on the ground, he turned on Wuya. _

"_Course, this isn't the only thing you've helped me with, is it?" Hannibal approached slowly, towering over her in Dashi's body. "You helped me get these powers. By being too weak for them." He held his arms up, and a ball of green fire enveloped each hand. "But…looks like you still have part of my powers inside you. Since you no longer have anyone to protect you…I'll be taking it now, if you don't mind."_

_Hannibal reached out and wrapped both hands around Wuya's skinny neck. The emerald flames burned her flesh, but even the pain couldn't pull her out of the daze. The fire flickered up her neck and cheeks, spreading across her skin. When the flames reached her mouth she felt them slip past her lips and down her throat, scorching the inside of her mouth. _

_The pain was vaguely familiar, Wuya realized as her vision dimmed. She'd felt it before. When she was young. Before she'd met Dashi's father. Before she'd come to the temple. Long forgotten images leapt from her memory. Figures stood around her. Speaking, but she couldn't understand them. Then fire. Green flames surrounded her, entered her mouth, burned her throat._

_But that time the fire hadn't been trying to take something from her. It had been searching. Testing. Looking for a home inside of her. Those flames were Hannibal's powers. Her powers. They were her powers first._

_The world around her snapped back into sharp clarity. Her hands flew up, clutching Hannibal's neck, fingernails digging into his skin. He instantly released her and tried to pull back, eyes widening with fear. She gripped tighter, ignoring the warm trickle of blood that ran through her fingers, across her hands, and down her arms. _

_Inside, she could feel the flames retreating. Irrationally, she clamped her teeth around the last green flicker. She felt it writhe in her mouth like a snake, trying to escape. But she wasn't letting it go. Like wolf ripping at its prey's flesh, she yanked her head back. The emerald fire came with her. _

_Wuya watched it tear from Hannibal's body, scorching his skin and incinerating the black robes he wore over his stolen form. The flames rushed through her teeth and down her throat, joining the tiny sparks that had always rested, unnoticed, inside her. His piercing scream joined the guttural shriek that was echoing through the mountains. Wuya realized the sound was coming from her. _

_Like the petals of the Flos Laverna, Dashi's body blackened and shriveled before her eyes. His neck crumbled beneath her hands, and he collapsed, nothing more than ash. The two pieces of the Mobi Morpher clattered to the ground. _

_Chest heaving, Wuya slowly lowered her arms. A deafening silence settled across the mountains. She could hear nothing but her own rasping breath. _

_Then the silence was broken by a quiet voice._

"_Wuya?" Dashi's hesitant footsteps approached from behind her. Suddenly, the blood and ash on her hands felt like acid against her skin. She didn't turn around._

"_Wuya…what…what did you…" His voice was timid. Frightened. So unlike her beloved Dashi. Her eyes traveled down to the pile of ash on the ground as she remembered the creed she'd taken with Dashi's father when she'd agreed to become a monk. _

_Work always for the good of all. Battle evil wherever it arises. Help anyone in need. Never take the life of another being. _

_Wuya's failure descended on her. The Flos Laverna had been Dashi's one chance. His only chance. Dashi was close now, just behind her. She could feel his presence. Warm. Comforting. Familiar. His heartbeat suddenly pounded in her ears, each heavy thump a reminder that he had only a short number more to go. And she would live forever._

_Before he could touch her, before he could walk into her sight, Wuya reached inside herself and called on her new powers. The flames flickered within her. Eager. Anxious to obey her commands. Her voice was quiet as she spoke for the first time as a Heylin witch._

"_Make them forget. Make me forget."_


	12. I'm Bad

Chapter 12 – I'm Bad

For the second time in two days, Wuya's eyes flew open. For a moment, she couldn't move. Light trickled in through the open window. Early morning sounds slipped in as well, though she didn't quite register the bird's chirping and the creek's running water. Wuya was sure she could still feel her throat burning and warm blood dripping down her fingers.

Drawing a deep breath, Wuya thrust back the sob she felt growing in her chest. She forced her body from the bed, feeling like she was moving through oil. The walk to Jack's room seemed to take hours, though it was only down the hallway.

By the time Wuya was standing in Jack's doorway, the pain had subsided slightly. She looked down at the sleeping boy before her. Jack was much smaller than Dashi. And didn't resemble him at all. But somehow, seeing him calmed Wuya in the same way seeing Dashi always had. Maybe if Wuya had seen Dashi during those last moments instead of just hearing his voice she wouldn't have done it.

Walking forward, Wuya sat cross-legged next to Jack's bed. She moved silently, but his eyes opened when she landed on the floor. Unlike so many times in the past, Jack didn't leap from bed, surprised by her sudden presence. He didn't let out one of his famous shrieks or attempt to shield himself from her. His face was calm, as though he was expecting her.

"Wuya?" Jack propped himself up on one elbow, grinning slightly. "Who's being creepy now?" After only a quick glance at her face, his smile faltered. "Wuya, are you okay? What happened?"

When Wuya didn't answer, Jack sat all the way up. He reached out and held her shoulders gently with both hands. His grip was just like Dashi's. "What happened, Wuya? It's okay, I…it's okay. Tell me what happened."

"My last memory." Wuya was surprised by how steady her voice sounded. "When I got my powers. It was me. I erased myself."

"What? Why?" Jack leaned closer, pulling her forward slightly. "Tell me. It's okay, you can tell me."

At first, the story stumbled from her lips in short bursts. Then it seemed to pick up speed until she was rambling through the words, sure that Jack wouldn't even be able to understand her. Wuya felt almost as though she was reliving the whole scene as the excitement, terror, fury, and sorrow ripped through her chest and out of her mouth.

After finishing the story, Wuya drew a heavy breath. She didn't let Jack speak but continued rambling, unable to hold the words back.

"They were my powers all along. Someone, some people, I don't know who they were, they tried to put them into me when I was very young. Before I came to the temple." She reached up, running her skinny fingertips over the black markings under her eyes.

"I don't know how I got there. Why did they pick me? Where did I come from? I don't know. Don't remember. I know I rejected the powers. They must have kicked me out. That's why I was out on the streets. They must have picked up Hannibal after me. Put my powers in him. But I still had part of them in me. He wanted it." She inhaled sharply again. "But it was nothing. Nothing compared to the power he had. Greedy bastard. Why didn't he just leave me alone? It's his fault. It's all his fault. Not mine. It's not my fault."

As Wuya choked back another sob, Jack suddenly pulled her up against his chest. His arms wrapped around her so tightly that the air was thrust from her lungs. She continued mumbling into his shirt, but even she wasn't sure what she was saying. He put a hand on the back of her neck and pressed his mouth into her hair. His voice was muffled, but she understood him perfectly

"It's okay. I'm here. It's okay."

After a moment, when Wuya had gone quiet, Jack loosened his grip. She leaned back, cheeks suddenly burning. When he caught her eye, his cheeks turned pink as well. He released her completely, leaning back onto the mat and looking away. Wuya leaned back as well, reaching up and pushing back her hair.

"Yes, well." Wuya smoothed the front of her shirt. "I suppose that will be the last of my memories, at any rate."

"Yeah. Guess so." Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "But, wait, what about Hannibal? You obviously didn't kill him."

"No, obviously not." Thinking back, Wuya actually found it quite easy to believe that Hannibal's tiny new body had been buried in the pile of ashes at her feet. "I don't understand how he could have survived that. I watched his body incinerate right in front of me."

"Maybe because of the wish? Does asking for eternal life make you, like, invulnerable to death altogether?" Jack frowned. "That can't be right, can it?"

"I don't know. And I suppose the others wouldn't either. I…er…went a bit overboard when I erased our memories." Wuya gave Jack a small grin. "Or maybe my powers did. Everything about me, everything I did, everything I was involved in was completely gone."

Jack nodded. "And it wasn't just the three of them. Dojo didn't remember either. And…well, we didn't tell you about this, but…we were doing some research, trying to figure out your past and all? The scroll that had the record of your old temple…your name was burnt out of it. But why are you remembering all this now? Something must have triggered it, right?"

Wuya shrugged. She didn't care so much about that at the moment. The pain inside her had dulled, and she suddenly felt restless. "Are we going to train today?"

"Probably. Maybe." Jack yawned and stretched. "Depends on what happens with Chase I guess." He flopped backward onto the mat. "Man, it is really early."

"Oh, right." Wuya had actually forgotten about their trip to Chase's house. She hadn't seen him in months except for during her dream-memories. The young Chase was different in a lot of ways, but Wuya didn't have any trouble remembering how little she liked him now.

Seeing that Jack was falling back asleep, Wuya reached out and shook him by the shoulder. "Get up. Come train with me."

Squinting at her through one eye, Jack sighed. "Do we have to? We could just sleep a little more…"

"No, come on." Wuya smiled as she stood up. "Still my lazy Jack, aren't you?"

Despite his attempts to hide it, Wuya noticed Jack's blush as he climbed to his feet.

* * *

><p>Chase Young glared down from the balcony that overlooked the main entrance of his home. The huge doors, which had once been protected by a secret entrance, were open, and three intruders stood in the cavernous foyer.<p>

"Although I am always pleased to have a visit from you, Omi, I'm afraid I cannot say the same of your companions." Chase sneered. "I expected this from the worm, but even you have stooped so low as to hide behind the monks, Wuya? I thought you had more pride than that."

Omi opened his mouth, no doubt to spout one of his idiotic demands, but Jack stepped forward. The boy shot a quick glance at Omi, silencing him. Chase raised his eyebrows. Now Spicer was assuming control? Over Omi? Again, Chase noticed how different the warrior before him was from the little boy who'd come begging for his alliance. However…Chase also noticed that Jack was again wearing the ridiculous contraption on his back that allowed him to fly. Hadn't he gotten rid of it? And…not only that, but Chase realized that Jack also had his old yellow goggles hanging around his neck.

"Chase, we've come to ask for your help." Jack spoke with an authority that Chase had never heard from him before. He didn't wait for a response. "We want you to teach Omi the healing technique you developed when you were a Xiaolin warrior."

Chase remembered the technique. It was actually quite impressive. Even more powerful than his current Heylin healing powers. Of course, since he could only use it on others and not on himself, it was effectively useless. Not that Chase could have used it if he'd wanted to. His Xiaolin powers were long gone. But he did remember how to perform them.

"Do you think I am a fool?" Chase smirked down. "I know exactly how you intend to use that technique…"

"That's good," said Jack. "You really would be an idiot if you couldn't even figure that out. We weren't trying to hide it."

Eyes narrowing, Chase gripped onto the railing before him. "Do not mock me, Spicer, unless you want me to destroy you once and for all."

"Ooh, so scary." Jack rolled his eyes. "Since you've failed so many times before, forgive me if I don't take the threat all that seriously."

"There's no one here to protect you this time, worm." Chase snarled and leapt down from the balcony. He paced up to Jack and noticed that the boy had grown taller. Chase no longer had to look down to see into Jack's face.

"Didn't you say something like that last time?" Jack's eyes narrowed as well. "Seems like my friends just keep popping up to help me out."

"You mean to save you, Spicer?" Chase's lip curled into a sneer. "That's not something to be proud of."

"I think it is." Jack took a step forward. "And I think you do, too. After all…" A small grin slipped across Jack's face. "No one is gonna come save you."

Chase clenched his fists. "I do not need protection. I am not a helpless little child like you, worm."

"Alright, boys, as fun as this is to watch…" Wuya stepped forward and pushed herself in between them. She placed a hand on each of their chests. "…we're here for a reason, and that is not so you two can rip each other's throats out." Jack allowed himself to be pushed back, but Chase didn't move. He glared down at Wuya, anger only increasing. Who were these pathetic fools to order him around?

How dare they pretend that Spicer was a threat to him? A match for him? Omi hurried forward as Jack and Wuya stepped back, away from Chase.

"Chase Young, perhaps I should be the one to speak to you." He shot a quick glare at Jack. "We have worked together in the past. I have seen the good in you. I know that…what happened with Raimundo was not in your nature…"

Jack's humorless sneer showed how little he agreed with Omi's words.

"…I am certain that you must only look inside yourself and you will see the good that I see." Omi reached up and put a hand on Chase's arm. He looked up, and Chase could see the honesty in his eyes. "Please. I…I was looking forward to training with you again…"

"You know that I would be more than happy to train you, Omi." Chase put a hand on Omi's shoulder. "Provided, of course, that you swear your loyalty to me and only me forever."

Omi lowered his eyes. "You know I cannot do that. My loyalty is to the temple and to my friends."

"So you say, Omi." Chase leaned down, grinning. He lowered his voice. "But I think you and I know differently. I could make you powerful, Omi. More powerful than the temple and your friends could ever imagine." As always, Omi seemed, just for a moment, to consider the offer.

But again, Jack interrupted. "If all he's gonna get is your level of strength then that's hardly something to brag about."

Chase looked up at Jack with another snarl. "You really do want to die today, don't you?"

"Hardly." Jack sneered. "I'm just speaking my mind. I've fought real warriors, Chase. And believe me, you don't even come close."

Wuya reached up and placed her hand on Jack's chest again. She eyed him, her expression clearly urging him to back off.

"You should listen to your pet witch, Spicer. At least she knows when to keep her mouth shut." Chase glared. "I will never teach you that technique. And if you don't get out of my sight, I'll kill you both here and now."

"But Chase, I…" Omi looked up at him.

"My offer to you still stands, Omi, as always." Chase turned away and headed for the stairs. Then he felt Wuya's claw-like fingers fasten around his arm.

"You know, Chase," she said as he turned, "I find it hard to believe I was ever fooled into thinking you were a great warrior." He started to pull his arm away, but Wuya gripped harder. "You're nothing but a coward. I should have known when you locked my powers away.

"You're just afraid of any competition, aren't you? Don't want to fight anyone who might be your equal? Like me. Like Raimundo. Pathetic. If you were such a great warrior you wouldn't be so afraid to lose." Wuya released his arm and laughed, revealing her sharp teeth. "Guan always was the best, wasn't he? The stronger warrior and the better man."

Wuya's smirk froze as Chase gripped onto both of her skinny shoulders. Her smile hadn't completely faded when Chase buried his knee as far as he could into her stomach. He released her shoulders, and she crumpled to the ground like a paper doll. Chase's triumphant sneer followed her down, but Jack's fist caught him in the gut before he could lift his eyes again.

Chase flew backward, smashing into the stone wall behind him. He gripped his stomach with both hands and doubled over, but managed to remain on his feet. He looked up just in time to see Jack lunging forward.

The boy grabbed Chase by the front of his armor. Still trying to suppress the pain in his gut, Chase could do nothing to stop Jack from hurling him across the room.

After sliding across the ground for only a second, Chase caught himself and flipped to his feet. The armor on one arm was shredded and bloody where he had scraped against the rocky ground. Jack didn't give him time to recuperate or even wonder what was happening. He was at Chase's side in an instant, fist swinging up toward his opponent's jaw.

The fury in Jack's eyes was familiar, Chase realized. It was just like the time on the mountaintop with Raimundo. But this time, there was no desperation or helplessness in Jack's expression.

As he dodged back, Chase felt the edge of Jack's fist just barely scrape his chin. He grinned, triumphant, and aimed a fist at the smaller boy's exposed midsection. But the blow didn't even come close.

Jack dodged around Chase's outstretched arm and brought his elbow sharply into Chase's side. The sound of breaking bone echoed through the cave.

Then Jack brought his knee up into Chase's stomach, sending him skidding across the floor again. He caught himself just before hitting the ground with one hand and one knee. The other hand grasped at his stomach. This time, he saw droplets of red splatter on the ground before him when he coughed.

Chase forced his head up, bracing for his opponent's next attack. But Jack didn't move. The boy's chest was heaving and sparks of rage still flickered in his eyes. Each ragged breath sent another sharp twinge of pain through Chase's body. Disbelief ran through Chase alongside the pain.

This was Spicer. The worm. He was nothing. Chase's own words ran through his head. _"A thousand lifetimes of training wouldn't be enough to make you into an adequate warrior, let alone one worthy to call himself my enemy."_ The idea of Jack improving this much in less than a year was laughable. Impossible. What was going on?

* * *

><p>Jack stood still, arms up, fury still tingling inside him. His heart was pounding in his ears and his breath came in heavy gasps. But he wasn't tired. In fact, he felt like he'd hardly put any effort into their brief exchange at all. Although Jack had practiced with his nanobots back at the temple, he realized that he still hadn't been completely prepared for his increased strength. And obviously, the man before him wasn't prepared either.<p>

Chase pushed himself to his feet, wiping blood from his lip. His face was contorted with rage and disbelief. Jack felt his lips twist into a smirk. Energy ran through his body. The strength he felt, and the sight of Chase on the ground before him, was electrifying.

"What is this?" Chase spat on the ground, finally straightening his back. "Some trick of Raimundo's? Or yours, Omi?"

When he turned his head to face the little monk who was helping Wuya to her feet, Jack shot forward again. His fist hit the side of Chase's jaw with a crack. As Chase fell toward the ground, Jack landed another kick in his stomach. Chase flew across the room again, rolling to a stop at least twenty feet away. With each blow, Jack felt a thrill of excitement and power run through him.

As Jack strode forward, approaching his fallen enemy, Omi's voice came from behind him. Jack was fairly sure he'd never heard Omi use such a subdued, cautious tone. "Jack, it is dishonorable to attack when an opponent's attention is elsewhere." Jack remembered that Omi didn't know about the nanobots. "Do you not think that—"

"Just keep out of it, Omi." Jack was slightly surprised at his own harsh tone. He didn't bother to correct it. "This doesn't have anything to do with you."

"But, Jack, perhaps you should—"

"I said keep out of it." Jack stood over Chase as he began pushing himself back to his feet. His anger was beginning to fade now. Wuya was fine. She was watching from the sidelines with Omi. Instead, Jack felt a different emotion take control. Another grin spread across his face.

"Hey, Chase, baby? How ya doing down there?" Chase made it to his feet, but still held one arm over his stomach. Jack had never seen him so angry. "Listen, Chase. I'm not gonna ask you nicely again. Teach the healing technique to Omi."

"How dare you speak to me that way?" Chase's voice was soft. Probably because he was still trying to catch his breath. "I'll kill you, Spicer. You're nothing to me. You think I'd hesitate to kill you?"

"I think you can't touch me." Jack's grin faded. "And I think you know it. Must be pretty embarrassing." Jack glanced over at Wuya and Omi. "To get publicly beaten to a pulp. I wouldn't know."

Chase spat on the ground again.

"Do what I said, Chase." Jack narrowed his eyes. "Teach Omi the technique. And I'll leave you alone."

A wordless snarl erupted from Chase's lips. Jack knew he shouldn't be happy to have an excuse. He knew that Raimundo had told him not to get into a fight. But at the moment, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

* * *

><p>Omi watched, feeling helpless, as Jack threw Chase across the room again. With every blow Jack landed, Omi's astonishment grew. How? How could Jack, the newcomer, the weakling, who had no element, who wasn't a chosen one, who hadn't even made it to apprentice rank, how could he do this to Chase Young? It was impossible.<p>

Wuya didn't look quite as surprised. Though Omi had noticed the concern she'd tried to hide, he was sure it was concern for Jack's safety. Now she looked impressed. Awed, even. The expression looked strange on her. But it was nothing compared to how strange Chase looked.

If he didn't know Chase so well, Omi would have thought the whole thing was a Heylin setup. But Chase would never have subjected himself to such abuse, no matter what there was to gain.

The only person who seemed at home in the scenario was Jack. Though Omi hadn't seen it in a while, the twisted, victorious grin on Jack's face was quite familiar. Omi stepped forward again, but didn't put himself in between the two warriors.

"Jack, you must stop." His voice felt quiet and weak. "This isn't right. A Xiaolin monk does not treat anyone like this, even his enemies."

Again, Jack didn't even look over. He was circling Chase as the warrior tried to climb back to his feet. "Y'know, Omi, you are really bad at listening. Has anyone ever told you that?" Jack swung his leg forward and caught Chase in the side of the head. Chase crumpled to the ground again, coughing up more blood. "Keep out of it."

"You're hurting him, Jack." Omi tried to keep the panic from his voice. He knew he shouldn't be afraid. He wouldn't have admitted that he was afraid. But he was. Jack could do whatever he wanted with this newfound strength. Omi couldn't stop him.

"Oh, am I?" This time, Jack looked up at Omi, grin vanishing. "You mean like he hurt me? Like he hurt Wuya? Or what about Raimundo? This is nothing compared to what he did to Raimundo." Jack's gaze dropped back down. His voice turned darker. "Teach Omi the technique."

Chase glared up. He bared his teeth, which were pink with blood, and Omi could tell what he was about to do. His teeth began to grow and sharpen quickly as his body changed. He grew taller, hunched over, and his skin sprouted brown and black scales. The whites of his eyes turned yellow and laced with red veins. His hands and feet twisted into vicious claws.

Jack didn't step back. He watched, and Omi could tell he'd been expecting this as well. Chase's dragon form was, without a doubt, his most powerful and dangerous state.

But even once he'd transformed, Chase clearly had trouble staying on his feet. Blood still trickled down his teeth and chin.

"Very impressive." Jack sneered up at his opponent. "I've always liked this form, Chase. What was it you called it? Your true form?" He bared his teeth up at the creature that towered over him. "What could be more appropriate?"

The beast let out a deafening roar, but Jack didn't flinch. His eyes were narrow, and Omi knew, somehow, that Chase's transformation wouldn't make any difference. Wuya, however, didn't seem to share his confidence. She leaned forward slightly, and Omi noticed that her hands were clenched into fists.

Chase lunged forward, jaws wide, but Jack slid out of the way. One of the most impressive parts of Chase's dragon form was that not only did his strength increase, but his speed increased as well. Yet he might as well have been trying to move with iron tied to his feet. Jack moved so quickly that Omi could hardly see him.

After delivering multiple strikes to Chase's side, Jack knocked him off his feet. Again, he paced around his fallen foe.

"Teach Omi the technique, Chase." All amusement was gone from Jack's face. Wuya, however, seemed to finally be getting over her concern for Jack's safety.

"Come on, Chase," she said. "You're only making yourself look even more pathetic. Just give it up. You've been beaten."

"No…" Chase's voice could hardly be heard over his rasping breath. "Never. I'm…not beaten…"

Wuya's cackling laugher echoed through the cavernous room. Omi expected Jack to laugh with her, but he remained silent. Chase finally forced himself to stand again. He swung out with one claw. Jack dodged easily. He gripped onto Chase's outstretched arm with both hands and twisted it back.

A pained, animalistic howl joined the sound of breaking bone. Jack yanked on Chase's arm, which now hung limply at his side, forcing him to his knees. He leaned forward, looking down at his enemy. His face was warped with fury.

"Please…" Omi was surprised to hear his own voice. "Chase, please teach me."

Chase turned his head to look at Omi. His yellow eyes were narrowed, but Omi could see his consciousness fading. He began to sway, but managed one last word.

"Never…"

Jack released his arm. The beast fell to the ground and transformed back into a bruised, bloodied, and finally beaten, Chase Young.

The room was silent for a moment; then Wuya shot past Omi and wrapped her arms around Jack's shoulders. Omi realized, suddenly, that Jack had grown taller. He was taller than Wuya now, though not by much.

"Jack, that was amazing," she said. "I didn't know that you…I mean…I didn't realize that…"

"Yeah." Jack looked up from Chase's still form. His expression was no longer angry. Instead, he looked almost as surprised as Omi felt. "I guess I shouldn't have been afraid."

Wuya leaned up and planted a kiss on Jack's cheek. Then she ran her arms down to rest around his waist. "I don't think you'll ever have to be afraid again." Jack's whole face turned red, and Omi was able to believe that this was their Jack again. The innocent Jack. The good Jack.

"But we still failed. I…guess I kinda screwed it up." Jack glanced at the floor. "Sorry. I just…when he hit you, I…"

This time, Wuya was the one blushing. "Thank you, Jack." They stared at each other for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember that Omi was standing right there.

"Oh, right." Jack turned to face Omi, and Wuya let go. "Sorry Omi. I…I didn't mean to yell at you or anything."

"It is alright," Omi lied. "I understand the anger you were feeling." That part wasn't a lie. Omi remembered when he'd left his good side behind in the Yin-Yang world and turned against his friends. He remembered the fury behind his attacks. He remembered the blind rage. And he hadn't liked it.

"We should probably get back." Jack turned and headed back toward the cave entrance. "Raimundo is not gonna be happy."

Wuya walked next to Jack and started chatting about the fight. Omi followed behind them after a quick glance back at Chase's unconscious body, still lying in a heap on the ground.


	13. Hey Jealousy

Chapter 13 – Hey Jealousy

"I'm not sure what you were trying to prove with that little display, Jack, but even though you may have impressed Wuya, you certainly didn't impress me." Dashi stood, arms crossed over his chest, looking down at Jack, who was sprawled out on the floor of his old lair.

"Well, good thing I didn't do it to impress you, huh?" Though it had been many hours since his fight with Chase, Jack could still feel the adrenalin pumping through his veins. "Sorry, I guess impressing Wuya is a little higher up on my list of priorities."

"That isn't the point, Jack." Dashi narrowed his eyes. "And you should listen to me; I'm still your master. Not Wuya. Impressing her shouldn't even be on your list of priorities."

Jack grinned up. "Jealous?"

Dashi's disapproving frown froze. His eyes narrowed even further. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Oh, no reason." Jack put his hands behind his head. "Just a hunch. So what were you scolding me about? Beating the crap out of Chase? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that the plan? You train me; I defeat Chase Young? Balance is restored to the universe and all that?"

"Defeating him was the plan. Yes." Dashi sighed.

"Well, what do you think I was doing?"

"Satisfying your own ego. Like it wasn't obvious."

"I was protecting—"

"Wuya doesn't need your protection." Dashi's voice rose to a sharp snap.

"She clearly does." Jack sat up, now matching Dashi's glare. He heard his own voice begin to rise as well. "And no one else is gonna do it."

Dashi seemed about to snap back, but instead he looked away. Jack suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the old monk. After all, he thought, it wasn't like he'd abandoned her or anything. It wasn't his fault.

"Look, I…" Jack let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Dashi. Wuya…she told me about what happened. Why the two of you became enemies. You didn't remember her, right?" He paused. "I know you remember now." His master was quiet for a moment before responding.

"I remember." Dashi didn't turn to look at Jack. His voice held a bitter twinge. "I remembered everything when I died. Apparently, Heylin powers don't work after their victims' death."

"I'm sorry."

The monk shrugged, finally turning and giving Jack a smile. "It's been a long time. And I'm not the one who deserves sympathy." He hesitated again. "I…I don't approve of what you just did, Jack. I think it was cruel and unnecessary. But…you are right on one account. Wuya does need something. Someone. Whether it's someone who protects her or someone she can protect, she needs someone. Deserves someone."

Jack glanced away, not meeting his master's eyes. His victory high had been replaced by an uncomfortable awkwardness. But he did agree with Dashi. "Yeah," he said. "She does."

"The only problem is, I'm not sure if you're the one she needs or not." A small, familiar smirk crept onto Dashi's face. "After all, don't you think a woman like Wuya deserves a strong man?"

"Hey, I'm strong. Didn't you see what I just did to—"

"I mean truly strong. Not just using crutches like your little nanobots, for instance? She also deserves a man who is truly good—which you've just proven you're far from." Dashi's grin widened. "Better be careful. If you're not, soon I might not be able to appear and help you anymore."

"I am good," said Jack, rolling his eyes. "Obviously, or you wouldn't be here. I know how this works. You can't appear to anyone who has evil in their future, right?" He crossed his fingers before him and looked up at the basement's ceiling. "That's why you haven't tried to visit Wuya. You couldn't."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Dashi's smile fade a bit. "Futures can change. Yours did."

"It did. And it hasn't changed back. But as far as Wuya wanting someone good…" A smirk crossed his lips. He tilted his head over to look at Dashi again. "I dunno…you haven't been around her in a while. I think she's changed quite a bit. More than you know. You saw how impressed she was with my fight against Chase. Maybe she still wants a bad boy after all."

"You're joking, right?" Dashi narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you're seriously thinking about…"

"Kidding," said Jack. He held up both hands and grinned. "I didn't just to it for her, y'know." He paused. "I hardly did it for her at all, really. When Chase hit her it just sparked it."

"You did it for Raimundo. And for yourself." Dashi nodded. "I figured, but…I dunno, the way you've been acting around Wuya recently…"

Jack shot Dashi a sideways glance. The old monk wasn't looking at him, but his face was still a mask. Jack suddenly regretted his 'jealous' comment.

"Maybe I should refocus this lesson," said Dashi, looking over at his student. "Why did you do that to Chase?"

"We'd been planning for me to fight him, hadn't we?" Jack glanced away. He realized that his attempts to dodge the question wouldn't hold Dashi off for long. Or at all, really.

"Well, you certainly did that. Though hardly with your own power. And hardly in the style of a Xiaolin warrior."

"It was with my own power. I built those bots. And all they do is increase my physical abilities. They don't even give me foreign ones." Jack glared over. "It's just as good as using the shen-gong-wu to win a fight. And I know you'd never complain about that."

"You don't know that for sure…"

"And what about my heli-bot? You encouraged me using that." Jack kept his face fixed in a glare. Secretly, though, he was somewhat relieved. They could argue all night about what counted as 'inner strength' and what didn't without getting to the real reason Dashi was mad at him.

"If you lose the heli-bot or shen-gong-wu during a fight, you aren't completely screwed." Dashi glared over at him again. "You still have your martial arts skills to fall back on. But these bots of yours are different. If you lost them midway through a confrontation, then what would you do?"

"You think they're just gonna fall out of my ears or something?" Jack rolled his eyes. Not surprising, really, that a guy who lived fifteen hundred years ago wouldn't understand science any better than the rest of the technologically illiterate weirdoes Jack spend so much time with. "They're inside my blood stream. And they wouldn't fall out, even if I got a cut, by the way. Even if I lost blood, there are literally thousands of them. I can't lose them during a fight. It just isn't plausible." Jack waved a hand in the air.

"All I'm saying is that the only path to true strength is to find it within yourself."

"They are within myself," said Jack, grinning.

"You know what I mean," said Dashi. "And you also know that this isn't the main point."

Jack cursed internally and didn't meet his master's eyes. "Oh yeah? The way you were going on about it, I figured that—"

"Jack, what you did to Chase was malicious and pointless. Completely over the top. I mean, I understand that you were frustrated—"

"…That's an understatement…"

"…But still. A Xiaolin warrior should never, ever act like that."

"I've seen Omi and Rai both act like that. And with way less legitimate reasons than I had," said Jack with small pout. "How come I get in trouble for it and they don't?"

"They have gotten in trouble for it. And they've learned that it isn't the right way—the good way—to act. They've regretted it."

Jack knew that it wasn't a good argument. He glared off at the wall. "Yeah, well…I'm entitled to getting pissed off every once in a while, aren't I?"

Dashi rolled his eyes. "You're not entitled to behaving the way you just did for no reason."

"I had a rea—"

"You had no reason to act like that." Dashi's voice rose suddenly. "Do you want to be a great Xiaolin monk or don't you?"

Feeling his own temper rising, Jack clenched his hands into fists. "Well, maybe I don't want to be a Xiaolin warrior. Maybe I just want to be great. How about that?"

The old monk looked at him for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Great men do not bully those weaker than them, Jack Spicer. I thought you, of all the temple monks, would know that."

* * *

><p>Raimundo frowned as he listened to Wuya and Jack's story. They were sitting together—close together—on the opposite side of the table. Early morning light trickled in through the open windows, bathing their breakfast in warm patches of sun. Kimiko and Clay watched Wuya and Jack as well, but none of them were listening as closely as Omi. He was leaning forward across the table, both sleeves trailing into his oatmeal.<p>

"Wow," said Clay as they finished speaking. "That's one heck of a story, Wuya. I didn't know your powers were so…versatile."

"Yeah, I thought all you could do was summon rock creatures and conquer the world," said Kimiko. "But you cast a spell so strong that they don't remember even now, fifteen hundred years later. And even Dojo doesn't remember." She paused, then grinned. "Though I guess that's not saying much."

"But there's still something I don't get," said Clay, rubbing his chin. "Why the heck are you remembering all of this now. Seems pretty out of the blue, doesn't it?"

Wuya shrugged. "I guess so. I wondered that, too, but sometimes Heylin magic has a mind of its own."

"Definitely seems like something you should be playing around with," said Jack, grinning over at her as he stirred his breakfast. "Very safe." Rai noticed that Jack had to look down at Wuya now, instead of up.

"Anyway, the main point is the flower, of course," said Wuya. "The Flos Laverna. Since Chase is…er…unlikely to offer his help after that little spectacle yesterday…" She glanced over at Jack with a smile. He smiled back, a small blush coming to his face. "…I think it's the best chance you've got to fix your legs, Raimundo."

While the others nodded their agreement, Raimundo's frown deepened. Though he'd given Jack a stern scolding yesterday when the group had come back with the story of his fight against Chase, Jack had hardly seemed to care. And he certainly didn't care now.

"Wait guys," Rai said, leaning forward slightly. The others looked at him. "I don't think this Flos Laverna thing is a good idea. I think we should find some other way."

"What?" Jack raised his eyebrows. "Why? It's perfect."

"It's far from perfect." Rai shook his head. "Look, it didn't exactly turn out well last time, did it?" He glanced over at Wuya. "That thing completely screwed them over."

"No, Hannibal screwed them over," said Jack. "The flower is just a power source."

"I don't think so. This thing sounds like bad news. Power sources like that draw from something. And they came from somewhere. There's no such thing as neutral magic in this world. And it sounds totally Heylin to me."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Who cares even if it is? We can still use it. It worked last time."

"It worked for Hannibal." Rai felt his temper rising slightly, but he kept his face calm. Why wouldn't Jack just listen to him? Why did he have to go and fight Chase like that? If he wasn't so impatient…

"Whatever," said Jack, waving his hand absently. "The point is that it worked. If we're not going to use it based on the fact that bad guys can use it, too, then why even use any tools at all? Why use the shen-gong-wu?"

"It's not the same," said Raimundo. "I'm telling you, I think it's a bad idea to use this flower. The way Wuya described it, it seemed like Heylin magic. The shen-gong-wu use Xiaolin magic, so—"

"Who cares? That makes them better? What about all those wu that unleash disaster and a thousand years of darkness on the world, huh?" Jack glared off and took a big bite of oatmeal. "I'm telling you," he continued with his mouth full, "it's the user that matters, not the tool itself."

Raimundo glared at Jack for a moment, then turned away, too. "Well, I don't care what you think, Jack. I don't think it's safe. And we don't need it, anyways. I'll find another way to get my legs back."

"What?" This time, Omi leaned forward. "That is most ridiculous. This is a perfect opportunity, and we should not waste it."

"I don't want to put anyone at risk just because I want to fix my legs." Raimundo felt a little bit of his anger cool. "If something happened like what happened with Wuya and Dashi…" He let his voice trail off. "Look, all I'm saying is that we can find another way. A better way, that isn't so risky."

"Are you sure about this, Rai?" Kimiko put a hand on his arm. "We can be careful. We know what to expect now, since Wuya has already used it."

"Kimiko is correct," said Omi, his voice still indignant. "This flower can give us any wish we desire. We could do much more than heal your legs, Raimundo." The others glanced at him. The little monk's eyes had glazed over slightly. "Any wish at all. This is certainly worth looking into. We would be fools to simply—"

"Omi. Cut it out." Raimundo sat up straight in his chair and gave the group a steady glare. "I'm the leader, and I've made our decision. We're not going to mess with this thing. End of story." He gripped onto the wheels of his chair and turned it away from the table, leaving his breakfast unfinished.

* * *

><p>Wuya followed Jack through the temple and down to the library that he'd basically morphed into his new lab. It was dark down there. Which, Wuya figured, was probably one of the main reasons he'd chosen it. There was also a fairly sturdy desk and plenty of research material (if he ever wanted to research ancient temples' monks or the unnecessarily complicated workings of shen-gong-wu).<p>

As he'd been doing for that last few days, when he entered the room, Jack pulled off his red monks robes and tossed them over the back of his chair. Though this time, his toss was a little more forceful than usual, and the robe flew over the chair and onto the floor. With an irritated grumble, he picked up one of his old tank tops (which he now kept strewn across the crowded room) and pulled it on over his head.

Then he slid the chair out and flopped down into it, pulling one leg up and letting it land on the table with a heavy clunk. Wuya noticed that he was no longer wearing the light slippers the monks had given him to go with his robes, but had gone back to his old, heavy boots.

"This is total bull." He leaned back, pushing the chair away from the table to rest only on its back legs. "That thing could help him, and he doesn't even want to look into it. What is his problem? Why does he have to be so damn stubborn?"

"He's always been like that," said Wuya. She reached down and put her hands on Jack's shoulders. "Don't worry, Jack. You can just complete your nanobots, can't you? I thought they were supposed to help Rai? Fix his legs and all?" She looked down and met his eyes as he looked up at her.

"It's…not that easy." Jack let out a sigh and pushed the chair back further with his foot. His head rested lightly against her stomach. "I told you…I can't get it to work. I can't figure it out." He shut his eyes. "Why am I such an idiot? I should just give up now."

"That doesn't sound like my Jack," said Wuya. She grinned down at him. "I've never known you to be discouraged by anything, let alone something small like this."

Jack opened his eyes. "It's not small. This is my greatest—"

The library's heavy door swung open, interrupting him. Wuya let go of his shoulders and stepped back quickly. Jack leaned forward, and the front feet of the chair hit the ground with a heavy clack.

Omi dodged in, moving like he was being chased by ninjas, and closed the door behind him quickly but quietly. Then he turned to them, an urgent expression on his face.

"Jack. Wuya. I apologize for my intrusion. But I have a matter of great importance that I must speak with you about." He walked up and stood in between them. Then he beckoned to them with both hands. Wuya leaned down, and Jack, rolling his eyes, did the same.

"What is it, Omi?" Jack's voice was still irritated. The younger monk glanced around the room again. Then he put his palms together and looked up at them with a would-be innocent smile.

"Well…you see…I was thinking that perhaps…our great leader, Raimundo, might have made a little…mistake?" His grin widened nervously, and he pressed his forefingers together. Wuya and Jack glanced at each other and then back down at Omi. "Er…uh…what I mean is…that perhaps…we should possess this matter…with our own hands?"

Wuya frowned over at Jack, who grinned suddenly. "Take it into our own hands, Omi. And I think that's an interesting proposition."

"Just what are you suggesting, kid?" Wuya crossed her arms.

"Well, you know where we can find the Flos Laverna, correct?" Omi pointed up at Wuya, who nodded. "And you still have the Silver Manta Ray in you possession, correct?" He turned his arm to point at Jack.

"Yeah…I do." Jack's grin widened. "So you're saying that we should…"

"Go and find it on our own," said Wuya.

"Exactly," said Omi. "We could go without Raimundo's knowledge…that way he would not have to worry about us."

Jack nodded. "I think that's a great idea, Omi. After all, what Rai doesn't know won't hurt him, right? Just the three of us?"

Omi smiled. "I…did not think that the others would…er…see the value of this plan."

"Alright then," said Jack, shooting a glance over at Wuya. "You can lead us to it, right?"

For a moment, Wuya felt a small twinge of unease. Not that she thought she couldn't find in. On the contrary, she could remember the exact mountain they'd found it on with an almost photographic clarity. But…the feeling of being in the flower's presence was still in the back of her mind. The hazy state she'd been in when she'd made the wish wasn't something she liked. But she shook the feeling off. No need to make Jack think she was afraid. And she was the one who'd suggested it, after all.

Smiling, she nodded at Jack. "Of course I can."

"Awesome. Let's head out tonight, after the others go to bed." Jack looked over at Omi. "Me and Wuya will wait down here. You come down after they've fallen asleep, okay?"

Omi nodded, smiling also. "Raimundo will be quite surprised to find his legs mysteriously healed in the morning." He turned, laughing quietly, and headed for the door.

* * *

><p>"Yeah, this area looks about right," said Wuya as she leaned up to the window, both hands pressed against the glass, and looked down on the forested mountains below. Jack glanced over at her. The air outside was cool, and each of her breaths left a brief patch of fog on the window. "That mountain over there. That's the one. For sure."<p>

Jack piloted the large, flying shen-gong-wu down to the ground. Omi leaned his face up to the window as well. "Is it close by? Is it on this side of the mountain here? How long of a walk will it be?"

"Calm down, cheddarhead," said Jack as the Silver Manta Ray landed. "She just said it was here."

"What does it look like?" Omi continued speaking, undaunted by Jack's reproach. "I am certain such an object would be most beautiful. Is it beautiful? Wuya?"

"Trust me, you'll know it when you see it." Wuya hopped out of her seat and onto the mostly barren mountain. "It's white. Well, the flower is. And it kind of glows. I bet it'll be easier to find at night." She glanced around. "I'm sure it was right around here somewhere…"

"Oh, I will find it," said Omi, scurrying off through the trees. "I have much experience locating shen-gong-wu. I will find it, not to worry."

"We're not worried," said Jack as he climbed out of the Silver Manta Ray. The shen-gong-wu shrunk to its regular size, and he tucked it into his pocket. The night air was cool, even back at the temple, so he'd worn his old black trench coat over his robes. The coat's weight felt comfortable on his shoulders, and he liked all the pockets as well. Perfect for stashing shen-gong-wu. "Calm down, Omi, and wait for us."

By the time Jack turned around, however, Omi had vanished into the trees.

"What the…hey, Omi? Omi?" Jack glanced around the dark forest. "Great. What is his problem?"

"Oh, don't worry about him," said Wuya. "Not like he's gonna get eaten by a bear or anything."

Jack chuckled. "Knowing Omi, he'd probably walk up and ask the bear if he'd seen the flower anywhere nearby."

"The kid is a complete idiot. Hope he can see in the dark," said Wuya, glancing up at the sky. The moon was nothing more than a sliver of white light in the sea of black ink above them. It kept peeking out from behind the heavy clouds every few moments, before quickly disappearing again.

"Don't worry," said Jack, digging into one of his numerous coat pockets. He pulled out a flashlight that he'd kept tucked away for shen-gong-wu hunting in the old days. "Here we go. Let there be light." The batteries were still good, and the beam lit the trees around them better than Jack had expected.

Wuya smiled over as Jack walked up to her and surveyed the surrounding trees. "I'm surprised you still have that thing. Is the great Xiaolin warrior Jack Spicer still afraid of the dark?" Wuya reached up and took Jack by the arm, walking with him as he headed into the trees.

"Very funny," said Jack, rolling his eyes. "I'm not afraid. I've never been afraid of the dark." Truthfully, however, the towering trees and the deafening silence made the forest more than a little creepy. Jack wondered why there weren't any forest animals around. They usually ran into all kinds of wildlife on shen-gong-wu searches.

"Oh really?" Wuya leaned closer to him, almost resting her chin on his shoulder. He could feel the warmth of her body even through his heavy coat. Jack felt his heartbeat quicken slightly. He resisted the urge to look over at her, keeping his gaze on the beam of light before them. "Haven't we been over this before?" Her voice was quiet. He could feel her warm breath against his ear.

Suddenly, everything went dark. Jack felt his heart leap into his throat. Almost instinctively, he grabbed onto Wuya with both hands and pulled her closer to him. Eyes and ears strained, he quickly scanned the black forest that surrounded them, listening for any sound.

But the only thing he heard was Wuya's laughter. Her body shook against his, and he looked down at her, confused, eyes adjusting to the darkness. One of her hands was still gripping his arm lightly. The other was closed over the front of the flashlight, blocking off its beam.

* * *

><p>Omi flipped through the trees, scanning the ground below quickly before leaping off again. The darkness didn't bother him. Partially because he'd trained for fighting in darkness (it was an excellent skill to have—especially since many showdowns happened to take place in dim or completely dark environments). However, his confidence was also partially owed to the fact that he had the Falcon's Eye fastened over one of his eyes.<p>

The Falcon's Eye allowed one to see through solid objects. Although this power seemed a bit boring at first, it actually came in quite handy. Especially since it allowed one to see in the dark as well.

Although Omi felt a little bad about leaving Jack and Wuya behind without any shen-gong-wu that would help them to see in the dark, he didn't worry about it too much. It wasn't all that dark. And Wuya had said that the flower would be glowing. They would be fine. And anyway…Omi figured it was better if he found the Flos Laverna and made the wish. Not that he didn't trust them, exactly…

Well, he didn't trust Wuya. That was for sure. She'd hardly done anything to prove herself to them. Other than giving them the information about the Flos Laverna. And Chase. But still, Omi told himself, she hadn't actually risked anything for them. Unlike Jack.

Jack had risked a lot. He'd done a lot for them. But…had he really done it all for them? Or for himself? Omi slowed his pace slightly. The fury on Jack's face when he'd fought Chase still lingered at the front of his memory.

Last night, after Jack and Wuya had gone to bed, Omi had called the others together so he could speak with them about Jack's fight with Chase. Although Jack had been willing enough to tell Raimundo all about his fight, he'd conveniently left out any and all specific details. Omi had told them, explicitly, how the 'battle' had gone. And about Jack's mysterious newfound strength.

Raimundo had explained Jack's secret. It wasn't, as Omi had suspected, some new technique Dashi had taught him. In fact, Jack's new secret was actually his old secret. Robots. Just as he'd been doing since they'd first met, Jack was using his bots instead of seeking power within himself. Omi had been more than a little disappointed. Mostly because Jack's strength wasn't something he could learn, too.

And for some reason, the others hadn't seemed concerned about it. Kimiko and Clay had actually praised Jack's resourcefulness. Raimundo seemed to be trying to stay out of the issue. _"If it works for Jack, and it obviously does, then why not let him do it? It's not all that different than the shen-gong-wu, is it?" _

Omi didn't see how the two were comparable. He'd argued back that letting Jack go back to his old bot-building ways was to lose the ground they'd gained with his training. The more he relied on his robots, the less he'd bother training himself.

But Omi had another fear that he hadn't been able to discuss with the others. Training Jack was one thing. With their help, he could get stronger. But never stronger than them. Which meant he wouldn't turn against them. Couldn't turn against them.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Jack…but… In his experience, it was never a good idea to let anyone, friend or foe, gain too much power. No one could be trusted completely. Great power lent itself very easily to disaster.

Omi was so deep in thought that he almost missed the glowing light below him as he leapt to a new tree. In fact, the aura, more than the light, caught his attention. He lurched to a stop and turned back, leaning out of the tree and pulling off the Falcon's Eye. The flower was beautiful, even from so far away. Omi dropped to the ground, landing within feet of the Flos Laverna.

(Hello all! So so so sorry that I've taken so long with this chapter and all. I got really busy with my NaNoWriMo novel. But now I've finished my 50K words, so it's back to Xiaolin Showdown! Whee! I had a lot of fun with this chapter, which makes me think it won't be very good, lol. Anyway, I'm back on the one-chapter-per-week schedule. I'll have the next one up by next Sunday (probably sooner). Also, I'm still on track to get the whole thing done by Christmas.

Thanks so much! You guys' reviews make me feel like I really can make it as a writer someday! Sorry I missed so many updates, I promise it won't happen again! Thanks for reading!)


	14. New Divide

Chapter 14 – New Divide

Immediately, Omi felt the Flos Laverna's power wash over him. It seemed that nothing outside of the flower's small patch of light even existed. He was struck by its beauty. But more than that, he was struck by the overwhelming energy—the overwhelming power—that spilled out along with the light.

Omi stepped closer, his mind working slowly. This was it. Ultimate power, any wish he desired, within his grasp. He had found it. He would be the one to heal Raimundo. He would be the hero.

Reaching out, Omi cupped his hands around the perfect white flower. His fingertips brushed the petals, and they were softer than anything he'd ever felt. Energy shot into his fingers, sending an electric tingle through his body. Omi shivered with pleasure, running his fingers across the petals again.

Mind slowing even further, Omi dropped to his knees. No need to rush, he said to himself. After all, only he could make the wish now. Even if Jack and Wuya found him, it wouldn't matter. The one who found the flower first was the only one who could make the wish.

And it wasn't like Raimundo was waiting on them, of course. He was at home, sound asleep, just like they'd left him. Completely unaware that Omi was about to give him the gift he'd been searching for so desperately.

Then Raimundo would have to admit that they'd been right. The Flos Laverna was the way to heal his legs. Maybe the only way. They weren't likely to find another power source like this anytime soon. Hopefully, Omi said to himself, they wouldn't need one.

But no, surely they wouldn't. After all, with Raimundo healed, there wasn't much the four of them couldn't face. Even Chase Young had seen that. He'd felt threatened enough to try and take care of the problem. And their other enemies, such as Hannibal Roy Bean, weren't nearly as threatening as Chase. Hannibal hadn't even put up a fight at the last shen-gong-wu fight. He'd simply run away. And Wuya hadn't been a threat in a long time.

So it was highly unlikely that they'd need the potential power the Flos Laverna could give them. They were already strong enough, Omi told himself. Images of Jack's fight with Chase seemed to flash before his eyes. Jack hurling Chase across the room. Jack knocking dragon-Chase to the ground. Jack snapping Chase's arm as though his opponent was nothing more than a doll.

But Jack was on their side now. It was a good thing, Omi said to himself, that he had managed to find such strength. There was no reason to be worried. Sure, Jack had turned on them before. But that was before. He wouldn't do it again.

_But what if he did?_ The nagging voice in the back of Omi's head seemed to grow. He almost felt like he could hear it whispering in his ear.

Trying to shake the feeling off, Omi told himself to be reasonable. Jack wouldn't betray them. Of course he wouldn't. Jack was trustworthy. He'd proven himself.

_But had he?_

Well, yes. He'd made that chair for Raimundo. He'd been with them for a long time now, almost a year. He'd been training with them, living with them. Jack was one of them. He was a Xiaolin monk. A Xiaolin warrior.

_A Xiaolin warrior who relied on robots to do his fighting?_

But…they weren't all that different from shen-gong-wu, were they? It was basically the same principle, wasn't it?

_Except that the shen-gong-wu were created by Grand Master Dashi himself._

Yeah, Dashi. Dashi was training him. Dashi trusted him. He was even giving Jack personal training sessions. Dashi wouldn't make a mistake. He wouldn't trust someone who didn't deserve it.

_Except that he had. He'd trusted Chase Young._

Yes, but…

_And Wuya._

Well…

_And they'd turned on him. Turned on the Xiaolin temple. Great power, and the desire for great power, had corrupted them completely._

But Dashi had been able to defeat them.

_Because he was strong enough._

Omi realized, suddenly, the answer to his problem. It was so simple. Right in front of his eyes. Right within the palms of his hands. He looked down at the dazzling flower before him. He thought he heard voices coming from outside the small circle of light, but he ignored them. Nothing else mattered right now.

* * *

><p>"Omi, hey, nice one. You found it," said Jack as he approached the patch of light around the small flower he assumed was the Flos Laverna. In Jack's opinion, it was a little disappointing. Sure, it was pretty. But it wasn't anything like Wuya had described. Yet Omi was staring at it like it was the Holy Grail. His fingers caressed the petals softly; his eyes were wide and shining.<p>

Jack could see what Wuya had meant when she'd said it would be glowing, though. Its petals reflected the moonlight that shone through the trees. One could almost think that the light was coming from the flower itself. Especially since the petals cast small shimmers of light around the clearing and across the surrounding trees.

As they approached the flower, Jack felt Wuya's grip on his hand tighten. Her breath began to quicken, and he could almost feel her heartbeat through her hand. He glanced back at her and saw that her eyes were almost as wide as Omi's. But she wasn't looking at the flower with amazement like he was.

A twinge of fear ran up Jack's spine. He looked back at Omi, who still hadn't responded to his call.

"Omi, hello? Are you listening to me?" Jack raised his voice slightly, but it didn't help. The sound seemed to be swallowed by the surrounding darkness. "Omi, hey!"

Even though Wuya obviously didn't want to move any closer to the patch of light, Jack stepped forward, trying to make Omi notice him.

"Listen to me, cheddarhead. Hey…"

In addition to swallowing his words, it felt like the darkness was swallowing his energy. He wanted to reach out and grab Omi. The little monk was within reach, now. But Jack's movements felt sluggish and delayed.

And he also felt cold. The night air had been chilly before, but now Jack could see his own breath slipping from his lips in soft white clouds. His nose and ears felt frozen, and he was suddenly glad his faded red hair now fell down on the back of his neck. His free hand felt like it'd been dipped in ice water. The only warmth in the world seemed to come from Wuya's thin fingers as they tightened even further around his other hand.

Wuya let out a shiver and shrunk a little closer to Jack. The growing fear pushed at his chest. "This isn't right." His voice was small, though he hadn't meant it to be. "We shouldn't have come."

As though in response to Jack's words, Omi turned his head slowly to look at them. His eyes were reflecting the silvery light as well. His eyes didn't focus; he seemed to be looking right through them. Jack opened his mouth to call out again, but Wuya stepped forward, interrupting him.

"Omi, stop. Listen to me," said Wuya. She still held Jack's hand tightly. "Whatever you're thinking, you need to stop. Get away from that thing right now. Come here."

The little monk's eyes didn't focus, but he did finally respond. His voice was much louder than theirs.

"You will not be stronger than me, Jack Spicer. I am the chosen one. I will protect my friends. Even from you."

For a moment, Jack couldn't speak. When he found his voice, it felt even weaker compared to Omi's powerful declaration. "What? Omi, what are you talking about? I'm not your enemy. I'm your friend, you don't have to protect anyone from me…" His voice trailed off as Omi slowly turned his head back to the Flos Laverna.

"When I am a greater warrior than even Grand Master Dashi, I will be able to create my own techniques as well. I will create my own healing technique. I will rescue Raimundo."

"What?" Jack took another sluggish step forward. Now his heart was pounding. "What are you saying? What are you talking about?" But Jack could tell he wasn't listening. It looked like he couldn't hear Jack's voice at all. When Omi spoke again, his words seemed to carry physical force. Each one added to the growing weight Jack felt on his heart and shoulders.

"I wish to become a warrior more powerful than any other has ever been."

Jack could say nothing, do nothing, as the three of them watched inky blackness spread over the flower's dazzling white petals. Then, just like Wuya had described, the flower shriveled, collapsing in on itself. The frigid air and the oppressing silence vanished along with the small patch of light, leaving the three warriors standing in the dark clearing.

Wuya's grip on Jack's hand loosened, but he almost didn't notice. He stared at the back of Omi's head, unmoving. Thousands of words rushed through his head; countless things to say tried to push their way through his lips. But he couldn't say anything. Finally, Wuya's voice broke the silence.

"Omi, why did you do that?" She stepped forward, completely letting go of Jack's hand. "I brought you here to heal Raimundo, not so you could fulfill your stupid little fantasies."

"They are not stupid," said Omi, turning to face them. Immediately, Jack noticed that there was something wrong with him. His eyes were narrow, and his voice was dark. "I must protect my friends from any and all threats."

"Well then why didn't you heal Raimundo if you want to protect him so much?" Wuya didn't step forward again, but Jack noticed her clenched fists. "You're not trying to protect them. You didn't do this for him or for anyone else. You did it for yourself."

Omi's eyes narrowed even further. The way the flashlight's dim beam lit his face reminded Jack of the time Chase had turned Omi to the Heylin side. It hadn't been a pretty sight, as Jack recalled. Omi had been completely out of control.

"I must protect them from any threat that might appear," said Omi, stepping even closer. Wuya took a small step backward. "Including you, Wuya. I know you are not on our side."

Wuya blinked. She seemed to have been caught off guard by the accusation. After all, she'd never said she was on their side. In fact, she'd tried to assert that she wasn't. But she was. Jack knew it. Wuya was trying to help them. She cared about them now, though Jack wasn't exactly sure why.

"Wuya isn't the issue here, Omi." Jack stepped forward, putting himself in between Wuya and Omi. The little monk looked up at him, eyes still narrow. "You are. You know that the four of you are good enough to beat anyone. If Rai was better then you wouldn't have to protect them from anything, would you?"

"New threats could appear," said Omi. But he seemed to be struggling now, just a bit. His eyes were uncertain. "We must be ready for anything. I can develop my own technique to heal Raimundo."

"That way everyone will know who's the strongest, right?" Jack stepped forward, anger flaring inside his chest suddenly. He knew why Omi had done this. It was so obvious. "You wanted a way to fix Rai, but to still make sure you were the best. Couldn't stand the idea that someone might be a better warrior than you. You really are just like Chase, aren't you?"

This time, Omi's eyes widened, and his voice rose sharply. "That is not the case. I did this for my friends. To protect them."

"From what?" Jack's voice rose to match Omi's. He clenched his fists. "There isn't anything to protect them from. I already beat Chase, Omi, didn't you see that?"

"I saw it." Omi's voice was suddenly calmer. "I saw what you did, Jack Spicer, and you were not acting like a Xiaolin warrior ought to. You looked very much like the old Jack to me."

The little monk's words hit Jack like blows. His voice was quiet when he spoke. "What? What are you talking about, Omi? I wasn't like my old self at all…I was strong. I beat Chase…I…I worked so hard to—"

"It is not about your strength," said Omi. "It is about your actions. I do not believe that someone who is truly good would fight the way you did."

Suddenly, Jack understood who Omi thought was a threat. He wasn't thinking about Chase or Hannibal, or even Wuya. He thought he needed to protect his friends from Jack. It seemed almost unbelievable. Omi, who had wanted Jack to join the monks even before Raimundo had, suddenly didn't trust him? Omi, the most trusting idiot on the planet? What must he have looked like when fighting Chase, he thought, to scare even Omi?

"Omi, you're being stupid." Jack held out his hands. "I am good. I'm a monk, like you. You don't have to worry; I'll never turn on you. I'll never hurt you, Omi, or any of the others. You can trust me…I'm your friend."

Uncertainty returned to Omi's face. Jack smiled. He knew that Omi would instinctively want to believe him. Of all of them, Omi had always been the most good. He was trusting and loving by nature. He'd seen the good in Jack before anyone else had. He'd seen his potential.

"I would never hurt any of you, Omi, I swear." Jack stepped forward and reached out to place a hand on Omi's shoulder. "You believe me, don't you?"

Omi looked up, expression softening. A smile seemed about to peek out, when a familiar voice came from the nearby trees.

"Do you really expect him to trust you, worm? You've done nothing but trick and betray him. And just look at the company you keep. You're still worthless. I have no idea how you managed to increase your strength so quickly. Doubtless you used some sort of shortcut."

They whirled around to see Chase walking into the clearing. Anger flared once more in Jack's chest, but he was satisfied to see that Chase's face was still bruised and his broken arm rested in a sling.

Jack stepped forward, but Wuya cut him off. "You're such a pathetic hypocrite, Chase. You talk so much about 'true strength' and not using shortcuts, but you used one to gain all your strength. Didn't you?"

Anger flew through Chase's eyes. He forced himself to ignore her as he approached his target.

"Omi. I know what you must be thinking. What you must be feeling." He held his good arm out in an open gesture. "That flower. The Flos Laverna. I've studied it in detail. It was created a long time ago, by one of the first great Heylin sorceresses."

Wuya blinked. "What? Where did you learn that?"

"Our research didn't come up with anything like that," said Jack. "We didn't find anything about the flower's origins."

"There are many things not recorded in the Xiaolin temple's libraries, Spicer." Chase glanced away from Omi only for a second to shoot a glare at Jack. "I knew you would be here tonight. I've been watching you. Betraying Raimundo's orders? Running off in the middle of the night with these two…" He nodded in their direction. "…thieves? It seems, as usual, you allow your evil side to run free more than you realize."

Still, Omi remained silent. Jack was starting to worry. Omi's expression wasn't one that he was used to seeing on the young monk's face. He looked angry. And every word Chase spoke served only to increase the fury in his eyes. Couldn't Chase see that?

"But I am sure that you don't regret that now, do you Omi?" Chase reached a hand out, his eyes shining with animalistic hunger. "You feel Laverna's power running through your veins, don't you? Intoxicating, isn't it, Omi? Nothing like your feeble Xiaolin abilities, is it?"

"If you like it so much, Chase, then why didn't you come make the wish yourself?" Jack glared at Chase, hands clenched. The tension was stifling. He felt like he should be holding his breath, and anxious energy ran through him.

"You really don't know anything about the Flos Laverna, do you, Spicer?" Chase kept his eyes on Omi. "Laverna was a Heylin sorceress who wanted to leave her mark upon the world. And why would she want to leave a positive mark?" A grin stretched across his face. "Anyone who makes a wish on her flower should prepare themselves to receive more than they expected.

"Her flower sparks wars, destroys civilizations, and destroys lives. There is no way to get what you truly want out of the Flos Laverna."

Jack felt himself go numb. No. Chase was lying. Or he was just wrong. That couldn't be right. That would mean…not only was their trip here completely in vain, but Wuya and Dashi… He glanced over at Wuya, who seemed frozen in place. Her eyes were wide, but Jack could tell she wasn't actually seeing anything before her.

Chase stepped closer to Omi, who was now within his reach. "I know you can feel it, Omi. Her power is too great to ignore. And I know that some of her desires have survived as well.

"Join me, Omi. We can rule the world together." Chase held a hand out, palm open, to the little monk. "I know Laverna's power is too much for you to resist."

For a moment, no one moved. No one breathed. Omi wasn't looking at Chase. He was staring, instead, at the shriveled flower in the center of the clearing. His eyes were unblinking. When he spoke, his voice was strong and clear.

"Yes. You are correct, Chase Young. I can feel her."

Jack's heart stopped, and he took an involuntary, jerking step forward. But Omi wasn't done. The little monk looked up and met Chase's gaze. From where he was standing, Jack could see the look in Omi's eyes. But he almost wished he couldn't. A chill ran up his spine.

"Her strength is like nothing I have ever felt." He reached up and placed his hand in Chase's. "And I cannot resist her."

The excitement on Chase's face vanished as Omi closed his hand around the older warrior's wrist. The surprise in Chase's eyes instantly turned to pain, as Omi's fingers dug into his skin. Without hesitation, he tossed the larger warrior over his shoulder. Jack winced as Chase hit a large tree, and the sound of something breaking split the air.

Omi was on Chase in an instant. He hadn't even hit the ground yet. The little monk's foot slammed into Chase's side. Jack could tell, mostly by Chase's reaction, that it was the same spot he'd ruthlessly beaten the day before.

Chase let out a small cry as he flew up and smashed into the tree branches above. Again, the sound of something breaking echoed through the trees. With a guttural battle cry, Omi held his arms out and spun once, calling water from the ground to propel him upward. Chase had managed to grip onto some of the lower branches and seemed to be desperately trying to hold himself steady.

But Omi, at the head of his small typhoon, hit Chase from behind and knocked him wildly into the air above the clearing. Jack realized, as Chase fell smashing to the ground, that Dashi had been right. Even though Chase could fly, he didn't seem to think of it as an option during fights. He could have protected himself, or at least softened the blow. But instead he hit the ground, hardly able to put out his good arm to catch himself.

With another roar, Omi landed on the ground behind him, his tornado of water exploding out in all directions. Chase took the hardest hit and found himself face-first on the ground. Jack and Wuya were able to remain on their feet, but they were now completely soaked. Not that they really noticed at the moment.

Jack couldn't stop looking at the expression on Omi's face. Instead of his usual calm serenity or excited energy, Omi's eyes held a mixture of anger and sadistic excitement. His mouth was twisted into a Cheshire grin that Jack had seen on his face before. But the look was more familiar than he realized at first.

Not only had he seen that expression on Omi's face, but he'd felt what it was like on his own as well.

As Omi tossed Chase around, intentionally smashing him into trees, knocking his loose limbs against any available surface, Jack wondered…is that what he looked like the day before? When he'd fought Chase? Another shiver ran up his spine.

And Omi didn't slow down. In fact, he seemed to be picking up speed. The twisted grin split and a malicious laugh burst from his lips. Jack realized that he wasn't going to stop.

Without really thinking about what he was doing, Jack lunged forward. He hardly registered Wuya's surprised shout as he dove in between Omi and his prey.

Chase was on the ground in a bloody heap. Unmoving, but clearly conscious. He lifted his head about an inch and squinted up through one eye. The other was swollen shut. Jack turned his focus to Omi, who had skidded to a halt just in time to avoid giving Jack some fresh bruises.

"Jack," said Omi, eyes widening slightly. "What are you doing?"

Jack's heart was racing. He wasn't sure, really, what he was doing. What did he care if Omi killed Chase? He'd almost done it himself just yesterday. He didn't care about that bastard. But…

"You've made your point, Omi. You need to stop." Jack's voice was stronger than he'd expected, though he felt more than a little hypocritical. "You're going to kill him."

Omi's eyes narrowed again. "So what if I do? He hurt Raimundo. He hurt my friends. He deserves to die." He held his hands back up and took a small step forward. "Get out of my way."

"No." Jack had to force himself to keep his arms hanging at his side. Every nerve screamed at him to go into a defensive stance. Every instinct told him that the boy before him was his enemy. "I'm not moving, Omi. You know I'm right."

"Why do you protect Chase Young?" Omi raised his voice and pointed a finger at Jack. "Are you not on the side of good, as you say? He is our enemy, so get out of my way."

"No," Jack kept his voice level, though not without effort. "He is our enemy. He's my enemy. And believe me, the last thing in the world I want is to protect him. But this isn't right. And you know it."

The young monk hesitated, lowering his arms slightly.

"Omi, you were just upset at me for acting like this. Yesterday, remember? I did the exact same thing." Jack glanced down at Chase, who was trying to climb to his knees. The old warrior didn't look up at him. "But you were right. You guys were all right. No matter how much of a scumbag Chase is…it's not right to bully the weak."

Finally, Omi lowered his arms and relaxed his stance. But instead of feeling relief, Jack's senses were still burning. He could feel the evil magic's presence in the boy before him. "Fine," Omi said. "Let us return to the temple. My friends need me." He met Jack's gaze and held it for a moment. And his eyes were not friendly. They held none of the familiar innocence and kindness Jack was used to seeing there.

Instead, Omi's expression was openly threatening. And Jack couldn't possibly miss the emphasis he'd placed on his last few words. _My friends_.

Jack nodded and pulled out the shrunken Silver Manta Ray. Omi held out a hand, and Jack didn't hesitate to place the wu into his open palm. No need to make him even angrier, he thought. They should focus on getting him back to the temple. Stuff like this had happened before. Surely Raimundo or Master Fung would know how to fix it.

Omi turned away and activated the Silver Manta Ray. Wuya was at Jack's side in an instant, as he turned and looked down at Chase.

"Jack, I'm sorry," she said, placing a hand on his arm. "I should have known this wouldn't work."

"It's not your fault," he said, forcing a smile. And it was true. It wasn't her fault. Or even Omi's fault. It was his. Dashi had warned him about seeking out shortcuts. Even Raimundo had been able to see that this wasn't a good idea. Rai wasn't the stubborn one, Jack thought. "What should we do with Chase?"

Wuya looked down. Chase had finally managed to climb to his knees, but he still wasn't looking up at them. Jack felt a small, humorless laugh burst from his lips.

"How the mighty have fallen," said Jack, kneeling down. "Eh, Chase?"

"Get away from me, Spicer." Chase's voice was broken and quiet. "Just leave me be."

Jack was half tempted to do just that. This was Chase, after all. He'd probably be fine. He always came right back. Always instantly healed the next day. And if he wasn't, who cared? Omi was right, wasn't he? Chase was scum. He'd hurt Raimundo. He'd hurt Wuya. He deserved to be left alone.

Chase finally glanced up, and Jack saw something familiar in his expression. He'd never seen it there before, but he recognized it instantly. How could he not? Defeat shone in Chase's eyes.

"What a big baby," said Jack. He reached down and grabbed Chase by the arm, pulling him to his feet. "You're gonna give up just because of a little beating like that?" Jack pulled Chase's arm around his own shoulder and leaned the bigger warrior's weight on his back. "I think you've been the best for way too long, Chase. You had to know that sooner or later somebody better would come around.

"A great warrior is always growing," said Jack as he pulled Chase toward the Silver Manta Ray. "Strong opponents are just chances to make yourself stronger. You should know that."

Omi didn't look happy to see Jack lifting Chase Young into the backseat of the flying shen-gong-wu, but he didn't say anything. Chase turned away, also remaining silent. But Jack could see some of the despair had gone from his eyes. Another familiar expression had replaced it. Determination.

And when Chase glanced over at Jack, he saw something else there, too. However small, and however late it was in coming, Jack finally saw respect in Chase's eyes.


	15. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

Chapter 15 – Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

Jack kept his eyes on Omi for most of the trip back. He couldn't get rid of the feeling of internal panic—like he was leaning just too far off the edge of a cliff but not quite falling. His nerves felt electric, and his heart wouldn't stop pounding.

From the look on her face, and from her white knuckles, Jack figured that Wuya was feeling the same. She kept shooting nervous glances at Omi, who didn't look back at either one of them.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the temple. The sun was just rising over the horizon, and Jack felt his heart sink as the Silver Manta Ray lowered toward the ground. He could see the three little figures heading over from the training ground to meet them. Even though Raimundo couldn't train with them in the same way he used to, he always spent training hours with them. He usually worked on his own specialized techniques that involved his element.

As they came close enough to see their friends' expressions, Jack suddenly wanted to tell Omi to take them back up. Back to the mountains. Or maybe back to his old evil lair. Anywhere but here, where he'd have to face Raimundo's wrath. And worse…his disappointment.

When the Silver Manta Ray touched the ground, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay made their way up next to it. Omi opened the top and climbed out first, hopping down to stand in front of the others. Raimundo seemed like he was about to explode, but his expression froze when Omi came close enough. Jack saw a spasm of confusion and panic cross their leader's face. But he didn't get the chance to speak.

"I have located the Flos Laverna, Raimundo," said Omi. Jack realized, suddenly, that Omi believed that their mission had been a success. He was proud of his decision. Was that his arrogance coming through? Or was it Laverna's power influencing him?

But then, Jack realized, if Omi really could develop a healing technique… Maybe it wasn't a failure after all. But developing techniques took time and patience. Jack doubted that Omi was really capable of doing it. At least not for a while.

Jack turned to look at Chase, who was struggling to make his way out of the Silver Manta Ray. How many of his bones were now broken? It was no wonder he was having trouble. Rolling his eyes, Jack activated his heli-bot and hovered around Chase. Reaching down, he grabbed the older warrior's arms, lifting and lowering him to the ground a short ways away from the others. Chase winced, but didn't say anything. Jack landed next to him.

While Omi told the others about their journey in the background, Jack leaned close to Chase.

"So, mister honor…I think you owe me."

Chase looked over at Jack, swollen eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about, Spicer?"

"You know." Jack grinned. The pressure of Omi's presence was lessened by distance, so his heartbeat was gradually dropping back to normal. "I want a favor. You should repay your debts, Chase. I saved your ass back there, didn't I?"

Letting out an irritated growl, Chase looked away.

"That's what I thought. Well, Chase, I think you can figure out what I want." Jack's grin widened. If Chase agreed, then the whole trip really wouldn't have been a waste. A twinge of hope rose in his chest.

"You want me to teach that technique to Omi? The healing technique?"

"Of course. What else could I possibly want from you?"

A small smile spread across Chase's face. "Perhaps you are still interested in joining forces?" Jack blinked, but he realized that he shouldn't be surprised. "Though I'm not even sure if you'd be able to defeat him now." Chase nodded toward the monks.

"Of course he could." Wuya walked up and slipped an arm around Jack's waist. "My Jack wouldn't lose to anyone, Chase. It's not surprising that you're interested in a team-up now, is it? Now that you know how strong he is. Now that you need him."

"Oh please, Wuya," said Chase, a sneer crossing his lips. "I see that you've attached yourself to him now as well. Useful again, isn't he? You're pathetic."

Wuya glared, and Jack felt her grip tighten around his side. "It's not like that. Keep your mouth shut unless you know what you're talking about."

"As you say, Wuya." Chase's grin didn't completely fade. "Perhaps he's just all you have left."

Stepping forward quickly, Jack pulled Wuya back. This wasn't getting them anywhere. "Look, Chase, I…appreciate the offer." Jack was somewhat surprised by the honesty in his own voice. It felt better than he'd expected…to finally be valued by Chase. "But Omi is wrong. He can trust me. And I'm not going back to the Heylin side."

Chase let out a sigh, but didn't seem surprised. "Very well. I will teach Omi my healing technique. If he will agree to learn it, that is."

Jack's heart leapt. He almost let out a victorious whoop.

"And then we will be even, Spicer. I will owe you nothing."

Grinning, Jack nodded. "Yeah, yeah. One sec, lemme talk to him." Jack grabbed Wuya's hand and turned back to the others. Now Raimundo didn't look angry at all. His face held a mixture of confusion and fear. Clay and Kimiko were talking to Omi, asking him about his new powers. Neither one seemed to be quite as badly affected by Laverna's aura. But still, both spoke cautiously, as though Omi might explode if they said the wrong thing. And who knew? Maybe he would.

"Hey, guys, Chase just agreed to teach Omi that technique." Jack walked up, keeping a grin fixed on his face. It wasn't easy; the feeling of danger increased as he got closer to Omi.

"What?" Raimundo looked over at him. "Really? Why?"

Shooting a glance at Omi, Jack quickly decided not to tell the others about the young monk's momentary lapse and the way he'd treated Chase. They could clearly see that something was wrong. Jack didn't feel the need to warn them.

"Well, I think he's trying to get on my good side now." Jack grinned. "Rethinking my offer to team up."

Wuya gave Jack a sideways glance, but didn't say anything. Omi didn't react, except to turn slowly to face Jack. His blank expression sent another shiver up Jack's spine.

"That's awesome, Jack," said Kimiko. "This is great, right Omi?"

Jack looked over at Omi. The young monk's expression faltered again. A smile was trying to claw its way out from behind his angry mask. He seemed conflicted, and Jack wondered how strong Laverna's presence was inside him. Could he feel her urges? Were they just suggestions…or commands? Could he hear her voice?

Finally, Omi gave an obviously forced smile. "Yes. Of course, this is wonderful news. I should get training right away so I can heal Raimundo's legs."

A quick feeling of relief spread over Jack, and he glanced back at Chase. The older warrior seemed a little better. He was at least walking on his own now. He made his way up to the group.

"Let's all train together," said Raimundo. His voice was still cautious, and he shot a glance at Jack. "We can work over at the training grounds. Let's go."

Raimundo moved slowly and allowed the other to pass him by. When Jack walked next to him, he heard Raimundo's voice, though it was hardly more than a whisper.

"We need to talk."

* * *

><p>Raimundo was impressed, somewhat, at how much control Jack seemed to have over Wuya. The others headed out to the training course and Omi led Chase over to a nearby open area that they usually used for learning new techniques. Jack slowed and stood next to Raimundo, and Wuya hesitated. But Jack sent her on with a tiny nod, and she didn't hesitate to follow his command.<p>

If only he had such control over the monks, for whom he was supposed to be the leader. If only Omi had trusted him, this wouldn't have happened. Rai was acutely aware of the receding aura, as Omi got further away. He felt like he could breathe again.

Omi had explained his reasoning while Jack had been talking to Chase and Wuya. He'd already described what he saw as Jack's instability during his fight with Chase yesterday. But Raimundo trusted Jack. That he had such power was proof of his loyalty by itself. Especially since Rai was now close to worthless, it wouldn't take much to defeat them and take all the shen-gong-wu. Or at least, it wouldn't have. Rai hadn't seen Omi fight, but he could feel the little monk's power.

Once the others were out of earshot, Rai looked up at Jack. The young monk wasn't looking at him, and the expression on his face was miserable. The look was familiar. It had taken months to convince Jack that what Chase had done to Rai's legs hadn't been his fault. Now the guilt was back. But this time, Jack actually did share some responsibility.

"I'm sorry." Jack's voice was quiet, and he still didn't look down. "I'm sorry, Rai. I just…I really wanted to help you. I wanted to prove…that I could be useful." He paused, but Raimundo could tell he wasn't finished. "I thought I would be worth something if I was stronger. But I couldn't help you even then. I'm pretty much worthless. Can't even make my stupid robots work right. Least I got Chase to agree to teaching Omi."

"Your robots seem to work pretty well, from what Omi told us," said Rai, baiting Jack to continue. He knew that Jack was still hiding something about his creation. The information that Dashi had gotten from Jack about his invention had felt…incomplete. Raimundo and Dashi had both thought so, but they hadn't said anything. Not that Rai hadn't wanted to. He'd felt cheated. They'd given up their secret, and Jack had given them more lies. Or at least, half-truths, since his nanobots definitely did enhance his abilities. But Dashi had told him to leave Jack alone. He'd insisted that Jack would tell them the truth once he was ready.

"No," said Jack. "They don't work. They don't do what I wanted them to." He paused again, but only hesitated for a moment. "They're supposed to run on life energy and work together with it. And…they're supposed to be able to heal wounds. To heal anything at all. Within seconds. They're inside the body, y'know? So I figured, they could just fix anything that was wrong. Broken bones, damaged tissue, even brain injuries. I gave them all the right equipment. I should be able to tell them what to do, just like that. But they don't work."

Raimundo didn't say anything, but he raised his eyebrows. He'd suspected, from the beginning, that Jack had been making something for him. Something for his legs. Maybe braces or new metal bones or something. The idea seemed Jack-ish. But this…this was ambitious, even for Jack.

"I was gonna control them with these," said Jack, grabbing the old, yellow goggles he'd been keeping around his neck recently. "I built in some…er…little screens that I can still see through." He pulled them off and handed them to Raimundo, seeming to decide that it would be easier to show him than to try and explain. And Rai had to agree. He wondered if even Kimiko could keep up with Jack when he was talking about his inventions. Sometimes Rai wondered if Jack really was a genius. Despite him being…well…Jack.

When he pulled the goggles down over his eyes, Raimundo expected everything around him to be suddenly tinged yellow. He was surprised to find that the world didn't change color at all. Instead, Rai could hardly tell that the goggles were there, other than the pressure of the tight strap. He glanced around, and suddenly, strange symbols began popping up in front of his eyes. Well, not quite in front of his eyes. They were mostly off to the sides, floating just out of convenient eyesight. They reminded Rai of a video game.

"What the heck? What are those things?"

"They're controls. Think of them as buttons that you press by looking at them. I focus on them in certain orders to give the nanobots commands. Mostly, though, they just do their own thing. They have a set of basic commands that they follow."

"So am I gonna mess them up by looking at these?" Raimundo pulled the goggles off and handed them back. Again, he was amazed. Jack could probably make a lot of money as an engineer or inventor. Yet here he was with them, thinking he was nothing but a failure.

"No, they only obey my orders." Jack gave a small grin as he pulled the goggles back down around his neck. "But I…they don't work like I wanted them to. They don't have the power to heal wounds like I wanted." Jack turned and looked down at Rai. "See, they're supposed to work together with my life energy. My Xiaolin energy, y'know? But I can't figure out how to make them work together. I've tried…" He paused and grinned again. "Well, I won't bore you with the details."

"Good idea," said Rai, matching Jack's grin. "Look, Jack, I want to apologize, too. I should have been honest with you from the beginning about everything. Then maybe you'd be able to trust me better."

"I do trust you," said Jack. Then he let out a sigh. "It's just…I thought…"

"It's okay. We can fix Omi. Stuff like this has happened before. And this is more his fault than anything." Rai glanced over at Omi and let out a small shudder. "But we definitely have to do something. He's not right like this. It's not really…Omi, is it?"

Jack looked over as well and shook his head. "I don't know what it is. But I agree. Everything about this just feels wrong. And he doesn't feel like Omi. Doesn't really act like him, either."

Raimundo nodded and motioned for Jack to lean in close. He lowered his voice even further. "You wanna go grab the Sphere of Yun? I don't want to think that we can't trust him, but he seems pretty volatile right now." Jack nodded and ran off toward the temple. The Sphere of Yun, like most shen-gong-wu, had been both incredibly useful and incredibly dangerous in the past. It acted as a sort of cage, locking an enemy inside no matter how powerful he was. However, it had the added bonus of giving the holder all of the prisoner's powers. Raimundo wondered if it would really help to neutralize the threat Laverna's powers presented. But it seemed like their best option at the moment.

Despite the situation, Raimundo couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride as he watched his friends training with the people who had once been their enemies. And Chase still was their enemy, of course. Rai could almost still feel the sting of the older warrior's blows. Yet…it felt good to have reached a sort of truce, at least for the moment. And Wuya…perhaps their truce with her wasn't temporary. Although she wasn't very close with any of the others, she was obviously very close with Jack. Maybe she would stay.

By the time Jack came back, Omi and Chase were heading over toward Raimundo as well. Although Kimiko, Clay, and Wuya had looked absorbed in their training, they were at Raimundo's side as soon as Omi was. Jack reached Rai first and slipped the Sphere of Yun into his open hand. Rai stashed it away in the front of his robe while scanning the others' faces. Only Wuya seemed to notice the quick movement, and she said nothing.

"Is that it?" Raimundo looked at Omi and Chase as they walked up. "You guys done already?"

"That is all there is," said Chase, crossing his arms. "It is a simple technique." His wounds looked a little better, but they were far from healed. Some of them looked much more recent than yesterday. Raimundo wondered what had happened during the little group's trip to find the Flos Laverna that he hadn't heard about. Something must have changed Chase's mind about teaching his technique to Omi.

"All right then, Chase," said Jack. "You gonna stick around and see it work?"

A menacing smirk crossed Chase's face. "I'll stick around, Spicer. This should certainly be entertaining."

Rai didn't like his tone at all, but he ignored it and turned to Omi. "All right, I guess this is it." Despite the oppressive aura and the tension it caused, Raimundo couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. He'd be able to stand again. And not just in his dream world with Dashi.

Omi met Raimundo's gaze, his eyes narrowed. Suddenly, Rai felt another thrill of fear. Something was seriously wrong. Raimundo somehow knew, before Omi even spoke, what he was going to say.

"I believe that it may be best to wait before healing your legs, Raimundo." The dark twinge to Omi's voice was even stronger than before. Out of the corner of his eye, Raimundo saw Jack clench his fists.

Kimiko stepped forward, disbelief on her face. "Omi, what are you talking about? Rai has waited long enough, why don't you just do it?"

A strange spasm flickered across Omi's face. Rai wasn't sure if the others had noticed it.

"C'mon, partner," said Clay, holding his hands out. "What's the problem?"

"What do you think the problem is, idiot monk?" Chase's smirk had grown. The others looked over at him. "You really think he can control Laverna's powers so easily? Her will is going to crush him. The little monk doesn't stand a chance."

Raimundo looked back at Omi, whose eyes had widened, but Jack spoke first.

"Omi, c'mon, are you gonna let some dead old hag control you? What kind of Xiaolin warrior would let that happen to him?"

"It's no use, Spicer," said Chase. "Omi's will isn't strong enough. He made this choice, remember? To reject her would be to reject the power she gives him." He looked down at Omi, whose eyes darted from face to face as he struggled. "And I don't think Omi has the will to reject her strength."

Jack laughed, cutting off the other monk's protests. Rai was surprised that his tone actually sounded somewhat jovial. When he spoke, his voice was honest.

"Oh, please." Jack crossed his arms across his chest, grinning. Rai was struck, yet again, by how much he had grown. "There isn't a person in the world, alive or dead, who has a stronger will than Omi. And you know it, don't you Chase? Omi has been rejecting you and the power you offer for years. Omi won't put his own personal gain above his friends, unlike you."

Chase's grin turned into an angry scowl. "We shall see, Spicer. You always have been one for false confidence."

Raimundo didn't interject, because he couldn't help but agree with Chase. Omi had valued his own strength and his own gain higher than his friends in the past. Many times, actually. Granted, it was typically the product of simple poor planning (which Omi had quite a talent for). And he always came through in the end. But still…

Jack obviously did have confidence in Omi. Either that or he was a better liar than Rai thought. Jack's grin widened, and he turned back to Omi. The little monk, still looking around from face to face like a squirrel watching nearby predators, flickered his gaze over to Jack.

"Omi, look, it's alright. We're not mad or anything." Jack stepped forward and knelt down in front of his friend. "And I'm not scared, either. If all it's gonna take to get rid of this chick is for you to win a battle of wills…well, I don't see the problem. I know you would never let us down. It's actually one of the things I hated so much about you. Y'know, back before." Jack's eyes clouded over briefly.

"It was impossible to beat you. No matter how much of an upper hand I had, you always came through in the end. I remember thinking how unfair it was. Like you were completely indomitable." He smiled down at Omi. "But I've always been jealous of that, y'know? I always wanted to be like you."

Omi's expression was conflicted for a moment. He seemed about to smile. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened and his face shuddered again. A flicker of green light appeared in his pupils.

Without warning, one of Omi's hands shot out and grabbed Jack by the front of his robe. The other hand, clenched into a fist, slammed forward into Jack's chest, right over his heart.

Since Omi was holding onto him, Jack didn't fly backwards. But from the sound of the blow, Rai knew he would have. Instead of cracking, the ribs protecting Jack's heart sounded like they had shattered. His eyes went wide, and he bit back a scream. Omi dropped him as he collapsed forward onto ground. The little monk's face was contorted with fury. The sickening aura suddenly grew—so much so that Rai could feel it as a physical presence. The air was thick and dark. Omi looked down at Jack, revealing his teeth in a vicious grin. Kimiko and Clay dove forward, but Wuya was the fastest. However, she didn't jump to protect Jack.

Instead, Raimundo felt her hand shoot into the front of his robes. He didn't react, not necessarily wanting to stop her, as she pulled out the Sphere of Yun. Omi could do nothing as her furious voice split the air.

"Sphere of Yun!"

* * *

><p>Wuya's outstretched arms trembled. Both hands were clasped so tightly over the shen-gong-wu that her knuckles were white. Silence rang through the courtyard. At first, Omi seemed unable to comprehend what had happened. Then, with an animalistic scream of rage, he started pounding at the clear orb that surrounded him. A typhoon of water appeared within his small prison, battering the round walls. But of course, it didn't help. Even though his voice was muffled, Omi's shouts echoed against the temple buildings that surrounded them.<p>

Dropping the Sphere of Yun and diving past Kimiko and Clay, who were now frozen, Wuya grabbed Jack by his shoulders and rolled him onto his back. Panic screamed through her body as she ran her fingers carefully over his chest. He winced and looked up at her with one squinted eye.

"It's fine. I'm okay, Wuya." Jack grinned and let out a short laugh. "You didn't need to do that. He wasn't going to—"

"What do you mean he wasn't going to?" Wuya's voice escaped her lips in a harsh shriek. Jack winced again, this time from the sudden sound. "Are you a complete idiot? He could have killed you! What the hell were you thinking?"

Jack squinted up at her again, still smiling. "I'm sorry, Wuya. I didn't mean to make you worry."

The words seemed to come so easily that Jack didn't even notice that he'd said them. But Wuya did. Her old instinct to deny that she was worried, to deny that she cared, hardly even kicked in. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her mouth up to his neck, speaking quietly.

"You'd better be sorry. Don't do it again."

Wuya realized that her eyes were stinging as Jack reached up and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close. She felt his lips press against the top of her head.

Then, she noticed the familiar presence approaching from across the courtyard, and another thrill of fear ran through her.

"Aw, well isn't this just touching?" Hannibal's voice was loud. It had to be, in order to be heard over Omi's screams.

Jack sat up, flinching, but kept his arms around Wuya. Raimundo spun his chair around and the others turned as well. Wuya lifted her head up and looked over.

Hannibal certainly didn't look very intimidating. Of course, he never did. He approached the group, not really walking, but moving with his unpredictable hop. He often seemed able to jump incredible distances and heights, and Wuya had yet to work out his limitations.

"What do you want, Hannibal?" Raimundo slid his chair forward, and Jack climbed to his feet with some difficulty. Wuya kept an arm around his back, supporting him as best she could. He didn't seem to need it. His breathing was labored, but other than that he seemed fine. Wuya couldn't see how he would be. He'd endured much worse than that, sure, but a person typically didn't just walk away from having the ribs that protected their heart shattered. This type of injury was more dangerous than it looked. Bits of bone could be floating around, ready to pierce his heart or lungs at any moment.

"Just passing by to see how ya'll are doing." Hannibal's mouth curled into a grin. "The gang's all here, I see. You goin' soft like Wuya, Chase? I wouldn't have believed it." He glanced up at his old ally. The wounded warrior narrowed his eyes, but didn't respond.

"Cut the crap, Hannibal." Kimiko stepped forward. "We're really not in the mood."

"Fine, fine." Hannibal shrugged his tiny shoulders. "There actually is a reason I dropped by. Had something to pick up. Something that belongs to me."

Wuya's heart leapt into her throat. She scanned the ground, looking for the discarded shen-gong-wu. But it wasn't there. Wuya looked back at Hannibal just in time to see his faithful pet bird swoop down to him, the Sphere of Yun clutched in its talons.

None of the monks could move fast enough. The moment Hannibal's small, tentacle-like arm touched the edge of the wu, an explosion of energy blasted them back. Jack lunged forward out of Wuya's grip and grabbed Raimundo's chair, stopping it from flying backward. Wuya watched in horror as a sphere of green energy surrounded Hannibal's tiny form. His eyes gleamed with a cruel hunger, and his laughter split through the air.

Kimiko and Clay leapt to their feet as the blast from the explosion died down. Raimundo leaned forward, glaring up at Hannibal. Jack's expression matched his friend's. His knuckles were white.

Silence settled over the courtyard as Hannibal's laughter died away. Even Omi was quiet, his narrow eyes locked on the green bubble.

"Well now, this is quite handy." Hannibal spun the Sphere of Yun around and grinned down. "I must thank you, Wuya. Although, I don't think this little gift is quite enough to redeem you." His eyes narrowed, and the smile faded from his lips.

"It seems I owe you for more than just refusing my partnership. Not only did you take my powers and my body, but you took my memories as well."

Wuya blinked, surprised. Jack stepped forward, putting himself between Hannibal and the others.

"Keep away from her, Hannibal. You may have Laverna's power, but I hope you don't think that'll be enough to beat me." Jack smirked. "A pathetic little bean is still worthless, no matter how much power you give him."

Again, Hannibal's face split into an ugly grin. "Oh really? Well, maybe it's time I discarded this worthless body, then."

Before Jack could respond, the green ball floating around Hannibal expanded, glowing brighter all of a sudden. Within seconds, the green light had gone completely white. Wuya shaded her eyes. Then, just as quickly, the light was gone. Although the last thing she wanted was to look back up, Wuya forced her eyes open.

Hovering above them, a familiar smirk still cutting a sharp line across his face, was Hannibal Roy. Instead of the puny red bean, and instead of the scrawny child Wuya remembered, he had become a full-grown man. His features were similar to the boy Hannibal, making him look just like a grown-up version of her childhood foe.

"This should even the field a bit, don't you think, Spicer?"

(Dun dun dun. Okay, so the next two chapters are the last two chapters! Yay! I'm done with school now, so I'll be posting them both next Sunday. I'm really trying to wrap this up so I can get on to more novel writing.

As always, thank you so much for reading! You guys are the best! Also, I'd like to ask again for reviews. Anything is really nice. Thanks so much to regular reviewers; I wouldn't be writing this now if you didn't exits. Seriously, I wanna go on to my novel so bad. But this story has been so much fun, so thank you all so much! Hope to hear from you soon!)


	16. Back in Black

Chapter 16 – Back in Black

Jack tried to ignore the pain in his chest as the newly humanized Hannibal Roy lowered himself to the ground. This just wasn't right. How did Omi's wish to become the greatest warrior entail granting ambiguous magical powers?

Hannibal's feet touched the ground. Jack was grateful that he'd at least materialized some clothes for himself. He wore baggy red pants, and a matching cloak covered his shoulders, waving slightly in the wind.

"Nice cape," said Jack, forcing a grin to his face. "But I don't think this new look suits you."

The taller man's grin stretched even further. He reached up and ran his fingers through his scraggly red hair. Even if he hadn't seen Hannibal transform right in front of him, Jack wouldn't have had any trouble recognizing him. He looked nothing like his old self, obviously. His bean form looked more like an insect than anything else. But his twisted grin and cruel eyes were unmistakable.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, Jack. I don't think that monk look particularly suits you, either. Course, you don't look too much like a monk at the moment, do you?" Hannibal took a step forward. Jack didn't move. It was true that his monk robe was covered up at the moment by his heavy black coat. With the goggles around his neck and the boots on his feet, Jack realized that he must look just like his old self.

"Are your little friends sure that you're really on their side, Spicer? Are they sure they can trust you?" Behind him, Jack heard the others moving. Kimiko and Clay stepped up on one side of him, and Raimundo wheeled his chair forward on the other side.

"Of course we are," said Rai. "Don't even start with that crap."

"Jack's one of us, Hannibal," said Kimiko, slipping into a defensive stance. Raimundo glanced over at her, a small smile coming to his lips.

"Now why don't you hand over that wu nice and slow," said Clay, mimicking Kimiko's movements. "So nobody has to get hurt."

Hannibal threw his head back, another cold laugh bursting from his lips. Jack glanced around at the others. They hadn't seen Laverna's power in action yet. Hadn't felt it first hand. And now not only was Raimundo handicapped, but Omi, the second strongest member of their team, was completely out of the picture.

"Back off, guys," said Jack, stepping forward. "I can take this guy, no problem. No need to gang up on him."

Jack avoided Raimundo's sharp expression and turned to the others as they protested.

"C'mon, Jack, you can't just fight him all alone." Kimiko looked up at him, clearly worried. Even now, after they'd been friends for so long, the fact that she cared about his safety was something of a surprise.

"Yeah, we can't let you have all the fun," said Clay. "Haven't had a real challenging fight in so long."

"I would advise you all to attack him at once," said Chase, who was now leaning on a nearby temple wall. Jack noticed that his amused smirk covered a calculating look. He was probably trying to figure out how he could deal with Hannibal himself. "I doubt you'll stand a chance even then."

"Shut it, Chase," said Jack over his shoulder as he turned back to face his friends. "You guys always have more fun than me. I never get to fight the big battles. C'mon. Lemme win this one for you."

"Well, Spicer, this newfound courage certainly doesn't suit you either." Hannibal's smirk grew. "But I forgot, you have a good reason to be confident, don't you? Your little toys let you beat Chase into the ground, didn't they?"

Jack frowned but realized he shouldn't be surprised. Hannibal was always watching. He probably didn't need Laverna's magic to find out where Jack had gotten his new strength. Though he didn't like the idea of everyone knowing about his nanobots, it wasn't a huge deal. After all, there wasn't much Hannibal could do about them.

"And they'll let me beat you into the ground, too," said Jack, stepping forward. "I don't need anyone's help to take you out."

"Have it your way, Spicer." Hannibal cracked his knuckles. "Still, though, I don't feel great about such a one-sided fight. How about we tilt this in your favor? You're used to air battles, right?"

Chuckling, Hannibal rose back off the ground and into the air. Jack watched, frown deepening. Hannibal definitely wasn't one for giving his enemies handicaps. He loved one-sided fights—provided he was in control, of course.

Hannibal floated higher, now well out of jumping range. He smirked down, crossing his arms.

"You coming, Spicer? Or have you lost your nerve already?"

Jack clenched his fists and activated his heli-bot. The long blades shot out of the contraption on his back and he lunged up into the air. Adrenalin shot through his body, dulling the pain in his chest. He certainly hadn't wanted to fight Omi, but he was more than a little excited to face Laverna's supposedly limitless powers. This would be the true test of his nanobots' abilities.

Hannibal had stopped rising. He watched Jack shoot up, not even bothering to uncross his arms. Jack increased his speed in a quick burst at the end, swinging his fist forward toward Hannibal's chin.

The bigger warrior didn't move, and Jack allowed himself a triumphant smile at the last second. Then, Hannibal's dark eyes shone suddenly with the same green light Jack had seen in Omi's.

A blast of energy knocked Jack back away from his opponent, but he didn't allow himself to be thrown off-balance. He caught himself quickly and shot Hannibal a glare.

"Is that all, Spicer? I thought your toys would be a bit more impressive." Hannibal smirked. "How disappointing."

"You think that's all I've got?" Jack swung his arms up into a defensive position.

"It's all I want to see," said Hannibal, glancing toward the ground. "I have more important things to attend to."

Jack narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "I told you to keep away from her, Hannibal. Unless you wanna die."

"You're boring me, Spicer." Hannibal held one hand out toward Jack, fingers outstretched. "I think you're the one with a death wish around here."

Green energy shot from his palm, and Jack braced himself for the blow. But when the light hit him, Jack didn't feel anything. The energy passed right through his chest, sending small green sparks across his whole body.

"What was that supposed—" Jack was glancing down at his hands when the machine on his back gave a loud, scraping click. Jack had just enough time to look over his shoulder and see the blades stop spinning.

Then he fell.

Panic rose in his chest as he wheeled his arms instinctively. He glanced at the ground and saw his friends diving toward the spot where he was going to hit. Wings shot out of Raimundo's wheelchair, and it burst into the air.

But Rai didn't make it more than ten feet off the ground. A blast of energy shot past Jack, who watched, helpless, as Raimundo tried to dodge. He managed to get his body out of the way, but the energy still hit its target.

Half of the chair and the attached wing were incinerated. Raimundo spiraled back down, trying to keep control of the destroyed chair.

Clay managed to dive under Jack's falling body just in time. Jack felt the impact shoot through his body, as Clay was smashed to the ground. The sound of breaking bones echoed in Jack's ears, but he couldn't tell if they were his or Clay's. White pain whipped across his eyes, but he and Clay both pushed themselves to their feet.

"You alright, Jack?" Clay's voice was pained, but he reached out, trying to steady Jack with one arm. The other was hanging at his side. Jack nodded and stood up, but his legs felt weak. Something was wrong.

A few feet away, Raimundo was pushing himself up as well. Kimiko was at his side, one arm wrapped around his back just under his arms. Jack looked over and saw Wuya running toward him, panic in her eyes.

Then Hannibal smashed to the ground, sending chunks of the ground flying out in all directions. He lunged forward, twisted smile still cutting across his face, and slammed a fist into Clay's gut.

Clay flew backward, skidding across the courtyard. Anger flared in Jack's chest, and he swung a fist forward. But his movement was slow. And when he connected with his target, Hannibal didn't even flinch.

Jack stepped backward, mind moving slowly. He still didn't understand as Hannibal's arm shot out, grabbing Jack by the front of his black jacket and lifting him effortlessly into the air. Like he was nothing but a doll.

It felt familiar, way too familiar, when Hannibal's other fist hit his jaw. More pain shot through him, and he tried to move. But his body didn't want to listen. His senses felt fuzzy. Someone was yelling. Wuya?

Hannibal lifted Jack over his head and slammed him down into the ground, sending more chunks of earth flying. Jack wasn't able to stop a scream from ripping through his lips. He could feel nothing but pain. Were his arms okay? His legs? When he tried to move, the pain increased.

They were broken. He'd broken them. The nanobots. They weren't working. Jack's brain numbed completely.

More shouting. Jack looked toward their source. Hannibal was standing over him, though Jack couldn't see his expression. Just past him, Wuya was hurrying forward. She was almost there Jack noticed vaguely how nice she looked in the red monk's robes. They suited her.

Raising his gaze to look at Wuya's face, he noticed that she was crying.

Then Hannibal's foot hit the side of his head. He felt his neck snap to the side.

Wuya's screams, and Hannibal's laughter, followed him into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Calling on her earth element had become easy to Wuya, and she did it almost without thinking. The ground beneath Hannibal exploded upward, sending him flying. She dove forward, grabbing Jack's limp body with both arms.<p>

When she lifted it up, his head lolled back. His neck was broken. Wuya's vision, already blurred, went dark. Her brain was numb as she let Jack's body fall from her arms.

Jack was small, she realized, looking down. Just a boy. How old was he?

Pain shot through her body as she was knocked to the side, away from Jack's body. Hannibal dove after her and struck her again, this time smashing her body down into the ground.

Wuya squinted up at him, trying to push the pain away. Where was the Sphere of Yun? If they could get it back… But she didn't see it. The shen-gong-wu had disappeared when he'd transformed. She tried to reach out with her senses. She should be able to feel where it was. But she couldn't focus.

A huge boulder, surrounded by blazing flames, slammed into Hannibal, knocking him to the side. Then Kimiko and Clay were at her side. Clay started hurling rocks as Kimiko spun her arms around, shooting blasts of fire at their enemy.

Raimundo was there, too, floating in the air. His posture looked wrong, legs hanging limp below him like bags of sand. He looked down at her, speaking quickly.

"Wuya, get up. Get Jack away. Go."

Wuya looked up at him, unable to respond. Unable to move. Raimundo waited only a second before he reached down and grabbed her by the front of her robe. His legs scraped against the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?" His voice was harsh, and he shook her roughly. "Get him out of here!"

"It's too late, Raimundo." Hannibal's voice cut across the courtyard. "Not as though you wanted a loser like Spicer on your team anyway, right? When it came down to it, he was completely useless.

"Just like you, Wuya. How perfect, that you two would end up so close."

Wuya looked over at Hannibal, dull anger filling her chest. Of course, he was right about her. Again, she'd failed to save the man she loved. She really was worthless.

But Jack wasn't.

Pushing away from Raimundo's grip, Wuya stood up.

"You're the one who's useless, Hannibal." She stepped forward to stand between Kimiko and Clay. Raimundo floated up above them. "You've never had even a fraction of your own power, have you? Always sneaking and stealing strength from others… You're the lowest of all of us."

Hannibal wasn't like Chase, of course. He had little pride to be damaged; Wuya knew that. He brushed her words aside with an easy laugh.

"Tell you what, darlin'," he said as he stepped forward. Kimiko and Clay tensed on either side of her. "Since we all know that you don't stand a chance in hell against me, why don't I give you back something you've been missing, hm? Maybe then this'll actually be an interesting fight."

"What are you talking about, Hannibal?" Kimiko glared over. "She doesn't need any help from you."

"Oh really? But she was so sore when her old powers were taken from her," said Hannibal. "I was sure she'd jump at the chance to get them back."

Her old powers? The ones that Chase had locked away? Wuya frowned, eyeing Hannibal. Would they be enough? Could she beat him, if she had them back? Would Hannibal be dumb enough to hand her victory? He did tend to be idiotically overconfident when he had the upper hand. It would be just like him.

But…it didn't matter. Jack wouldn't want her to take back her powers. She wasn't a Heylin sorceress anymore. The realization hit her almost like a physical blow. The Heylin Witch Wuya no longer existed.

So then…what was she? Who was she? Wuya glanced over at Jack's body.

What did titles matter, in the end? He wasn't Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, Prince of Darkness. But he wasn't Jack Spicer, Xiaolin Warrior either. He was just…Jack. Her Jack.

And she was just Wuya. Jack's Wuya. Dashi's Wuya. No one else.

"No." She turned back to face Hannibal. A strange sense of serenity had come over her. It felt somehow…familiar. She suddenly wasn't as worried about Jack. "I don't want them."

Kimiko and Clay looked over at her, both surprised. Raimundo didn't react.

"What?" Hannibal looked just as shocked as the two monks. "You don't want them?"

"I don't need them."

Hannibal was quiet for a moment. Wuya kept her gaze on him, but she saw Kimiko and Clay smile out of the corner of her eyes. Both monks turned back to face their enemy.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise." Another grin crossed Hannibal's face. "Course, now that you've refused…I've just got to do it. Don't worry, sugar. It's for your own good."

Wuya glared, but before she could say anything, Hannibal held one hand out. A blast of green light burst from his fingertips. Kimiko and Clay dove to either side, but Wuya clenched her fists and planted her feet.

The green energy hit her right in the chest. But it didn't hurt or even push her backward. Instead, she felt a twinge inside her chest. It was familiar, but somehow still felt foreign. Then, without warning, a sharp pain pierced her heart. She stumbled forward, just barely able to stay on her feet.

Breathing was suddenly laborious, as though a pair of razor claws were latched onto her lungs. And still, it was familiar. She'd felt this before. This was the effect of her Heylin powers.

Everything around her darkened. Her earlier feeling of peace dissolved, replaced by dark, bitter fury. She looked up at Hannibal, eyes narrowed. His face was twisted into a smirk.

"Welcome back, darlin'." He held an arm out to her. "Now that you've come to your senses, why don't you come with me? I'm not greedy; I can share. Your powers would really come in handy. Rule the world with me, Wuya."

Glancing down, Wuya saw green flames flickering around her clenched fists. Her white knuckles reflected the green light. Her mind felt dark. What was she angry about? Hannibal was her ally, right? _He's offering you the world_. That was what she wanted…right?

Then, an angry voice cut through her hazy thoughts.

"Wuya, what the hell?" She spun around and saw Raimundo, with Kimiko and Clay at his side, watching her from a few feet away. "Snap out of it; we need you!"

They needed her? But they were the enemy, right? _Xiaolin fools_. What had she been doing with them?

_It doesn't matter. Forget them. Hannibal is your ally._

What? But Hannibal…she was angry with him. He'd done something…

_He gave you back your powers. He saved you. Go with him._

Powers. Her powers. The pressure on her lungs lessened slightly, and she took a quick, sharp breath. No, that wasn't right. The angry voice inside her head grew louder.

_You need them. Without your powers you're just useless, aren't you?_

No. The realization came upon her at once, again, almost like a physical blow. She was worth something to Jack. And Raimundo had just said they needed her…

_He's lying. _

No, he wasn't. The calm feeling started growing in her chest again. The cold grip around her heart lessened. She suddenly thought she could feel warm arms wrapping around her shoulders. Jack wanted her. Dashi had wanted her. The monks wanted her. She wasn't worthless at all. The inner voice tried to say something else, but she interrupted. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, but clear.

"I said I don't need them."

Hannibal's smirk froze. His eyes narrowed.

"I don't need them."

Reaching inside herself, Wuya could feel the dark energy within her heart. It was comfortable, in many ways. Very familiar. It had always been with her, after all. She wasn't sure how well she'd function without it.

But she still gripped onto it with all her might and tore it from her body.

Pain ripped through her, and a scream burst from her lips. It took every bit of her energy to thrust the dark core of her Heylin powers from herself. Green flames enveloped her as she stumbled to the ground. She could hear the others speaking, but couldn't make out their words.

The energy grabbed at her, trying desperately to hold on. As though it had a mind of its own. Wuya thought she heard a ghostly shriek as she finally broke free.

And then, silence. Her mind was silent, and the courtyard was silent. She lay on the ground in an exhausted heap, unable to move. Darkness started edging in from the corners of her vision. She felt like she'd never slept in her life. The monks surrounded her, and Kimiko leaned down into her line of sight.

The young girl's face was worried. Wuya wanted to say that she was okay. But she couldn't even move her lips.

Past Kimiko, Wuya could just make out Jack's still form. He'd be proud of her.

As darkness overtook her, she saw Jack's fingers twitch.

* * *

><p>Dashi waited for a moment before appearing to Jack. They didn't have much time, of course, so Dashi hoped the boy would hurry up and clam down. With a furious scream, Jack punched a hole through one of his fallen desks. Within moments of waking up, he'd managed to completely destroy his old base.<p>

Not that Dashi blamed him. The fury within his own chest begged to be released. Of course, there wasn't much for him to take out his anger on in this place. Only when Raimundo or Jack were present did his bizarre afterlife prison even have shape or form. Usually, he just floated around in a big white space.

Only getting updates on the goings on in the living world when his students appeared to him was annoying as well, but at least it was something. This time, though, the update had come like a knee to the gut. The monks were in trouble. Wuya was in trouble. Jack didn't have time to continue his gradual learning process. He had to save them. Now.

"Dashi!" Jack's voice was raw, and the old monk could see tears in his eyes. "Where the hell are you?"

Finally, Dashi stepped forward, making himself visible. "Waiting for you to calm down. You're not going to accomplish anything by wrecking this place."

Jack reached out and grabbed Dashi by the front of his robe with both hands. His voice was quieter, as though he was forcing himself to act calm. But his panic was obvious, barely below the surface. "Send me back. Now."

"There's nothing I can do." Dashi also forcibly kept his voice level. He knew Jack could do it. He had faith in the boy. But still, that didn't completely alleviate his fears. If Jack took too long…

"What do you mean?" Jack shook Dashi by his robe. For whatever reason, Jack had never used his nanobots during his training sessions here. He could have, of course. Anything they wanted could appear here. But he never had, so Dashi didn't know exactly how strong he was with them. But he knew how strong he was without them. "You've woken me up before, so do it now."

"It wouldn't matter even if I did," said Dashi, reaching up and grabbed Jack's wrists. "Your body is destroyed. You know that. What would you do if I woke you up? Stare at them from the ground?"

Helpless fury rose again in Jack's eyes. He tried to yank his arms from Dashi's grip, but the old monk didn't let go. It took quite a bit of effort to keep the boy's arms steady. Even now, Dashi was impressed. He'd never seen a warrior improve so rapidly. How long had Jack been training at the temple? Less than a year? It seemed impossible.

"Listen to me, Jack. Just calm down."

"How the hell am I supposed to calm down?" Jack's voice rose sharply again.

"Even after all this, you still don't believe in yourself, do you?" Dashi shook his head. Why couldn't Jack see what everyone else saw? "Y'know, we've believed in you from the beginning. Raimundo and I."

Jack clenched his hands into fists, and Dashi let go of his wrists. "Not this crap again. Like just believing in myself is gonna win the fight."

"You'll be surprised, Jack." Dashi allowed himself a small smile. Most of Jack's abilities seemed to be limitless. Especially his knack for underestimating himself.

"Well what am I supposed to do?" Jack bit his lip. "I've already lost. I'm useless without the nanobots. Hannibal fried them completely. You were right. I shouldn't have relied on them. I should have had a failsafe."

Dashi shook his head again. "You don't need those, Jack. I told you, true strength comes from within. From the balance of Xiaolin and Heylin energy, remember? The reason Raimundo knew you'd be a great warrior?"

The young monk didn't say anything for a moment. He glanced around the basement as though searching for a plan. Dashi really hoped Jack would come up with something quick. Not for the first time, he desperately wished he could see what was going on outside. It could already be too late…

Then Jack started muttering to himself. Dashi looked over at him, trying to listen, but he couldn't make out a single word.

"What?" Dashi stepped forward. "What is it?"

Jack looked up at him, eyes suddenly blazing.

"Send me back," he said, a grin crossing his face. "I've got it."

* * *

><p>When Jack's eyes opened, the pain almost made him pass out again. He gritted his teeth and cracked his eyes open. The fight was now going on across the courtyard. Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo battled desperately, but Hannibal was obviously just playing with them.<p>

Between him and the fight, Jack saw Wuya lying in an unconscious heap. His heart leapt into his throat. Was he too late?

No, she was breathing. She was okay. And she didn't even have any visible wounds. What had happened? Wuya would never have been able to stand up to Hannibal with Laverna's powers, of course. But she wasn't a complete pushover.

No time for that. Focus. Jack couldn't move, other than shifting his eyes. Was his neck really broken? How had he survived? He should be dead.

Jack glanced down at his goggles. He couldn't see very much of the little internal screens, but he could see just enough. Perfect.

* * *

><p>Raimundo dove toward the ground, catching Kimiko just before she would have smashed into one of the temple walls. He looked down at her bloodied face and shredded clothes. Kimiko had probably taken the most abuse so far. She never was one to hold back, and she ended up right in the line of fire most of the time.<p>

Clay pelted Hannibal with softball-sized rocks while Rai pulled Kimiko to her feet. She was breathing heavily and seemed a little unsteady, but her expression didn't show defeat. Raimundo couldn't help but grin at her stubborn determination. She gave him a quick glance, and he nodded.

Kimiko dashed forward, keeping her balance surprisingly well. Raimundo shot into the air and charged Hannibal in a zigzag formation while Clay started hurling bigger rocks.

Honestly, Raimundo wasn't sure what to do. He was supposed to be the leader, but none of his attack plans were working. Hannibal was just too powerful. If Rai thought that they'd be able to get away then he'd call for a temporary retreat. They needed time to plan an attack. They couldn't fight this enemy head-on.

But Rai knew that Hannibal wouldn't let them go. And even if they did get away, it wasn't like they could leave the temple defenseless. And they'd have to carry Wuya and Jack. And then there was still Omi.

As Raimundo dodged the blasts of green energy Hannibal was tossing up at him, he glanced over at their two fallen friends. Wuya was still lying where she'd collapsed.

But where was Jack?

A blast singed Rai's hair as he scanned the courtyard. He was gone.

Hannibal's laughter cut through the air as he knocked Clay to his knees and raised a flame-covered fist above the monk's head. With a desperate cry, Kimiko dove in front of her friend, arms held out.

Then Rai saw Jack. His black trench coat's tattered edges billowed out behind him as he lunged forward. The broken heli-bot had been discarded. Familiar yellow goggles hid his eyes, and a triumphant grin was spread across his face.

* * *

><p>Jack's fist stuck the side of Hannibal's face, sending the bigger warrior flying. Kimiko's eyes shifted from desperate to triumphant. And then to confused.<p>

"Jack? What the? How are you…?"

Clay looked up as well, mirroring Kimiko's expression. "What in the… Jack, buddy, how did'ja do that? I thought you were a goner for sure."

Raimundo dropped down to the group, but remained in the air. His feet floated almost a foot from the ground, making him taller even than Clay.

"All right, we can talk later," said Rai. "Jack, you distract Hannibal. Clay, grab Wuya. We might be able to get away—"

"Rai." Jack met their leader's eyes briefly and then looked back toward their enemy. "It's okay. I can beat him."

Across the courtyard, Hannibal leapt to his feet, disbelief in his eyes. He hesitated.

"Are you sure, Jack?" Raimundo raised his eyebrows. "You really think you can do it?"

Jack looked back over at Rai. Despite what Dashi had said, Jack expected to see doubt in his eyes. He expected Rai to insist that they run.

But instead, Raimundo's eyes were hopeful. Excited. Jack nodded, and Rai's face split into a grin.

"All right, then. I'm trusting you to give him some good ones for me, ya got it?" Raimundo reached out and gripped onto Jack's shoulder.

Returning Rai's grin, and holding back happy tears, Jack nodded. "I will. Can you get Wuya someplace safe?"

"You got it, Jack." Rai turned to the others. "C'mon, he's got this."

Unlike Raimundo, Kimiko and Clay seemed more than a little doubtful. But they followed Rai around the edge of the courtyard toward Wuya. Jack followed their path with his eyes and realized that Wuya was waking up. Her form was moving. She seemed to be trying to push herself up into a sitting position, but it looked like her energy was completely drained.

Jack wanted to be at her side. He wanted to pick her up. To heal her.

But now Hannibal was striding toward him. First things first. Jack slipped into a defensive stance.

"How did you do that, Spicer?" Hannibal's voice was an irritated growl, though he tried to force a casual tone. "I destroyed your little robots. You should be dead."

"Somebody up there must love me, I guess," said Jack with a cheeky grin. "I seem to get all kinds of second chances."

"Answer me, boy." Hannibal's eyes narrowed even further. "Tell me, what did you do?"

Jack didn't answer. Instead, he shot forward, breaking his stance without warning. Jack was thrilled to see that his speed was back to normal. Hannibal only had time to take a small step back before Jack smacked the side of his head with the edge of his palm.

Stumbling back, Hannibal looked disoriented. But he kept his balance better than before.

Testing out his recovered speed, Jack hurled a few blows into Hannibal's stomach. None of them used his full strength—not even a fraction. But still, his enemy seemed unable to react. Each punch was greeted with a grunt. Hannibal couldn't move.

Then Jack took a step backward and spun around, swinging one leg up and hitting the side of Hannibal's head with a booted foot.

Hannibal was knocked to the side and skidded across the ground. Jack leapt back a few feet and took a deep breath. From the sidelines, he could hear his friend's cheers. His enemy stumbled back up to his feet, eyes flickering with green fire.

"This is impossible," said Hannibal, still doubled over slightly, one hand gripping onto his stomach. "Impossible. I am the greatest warrior of all time." Jack didn't respond, but stood back into a defensive position, inviting Hannibal to attack.

With a growl, the bigger warrior lunged forward. To Jack's eyes, his opponent's attack was nothing like his lighting movements from before. Now, Hannibal's actions were slow. Jack had plenty of time to bring an arm up and divert the coming blow to the side. Hannibal, who had put his strength into the punch, followed it to the side, trying to get his balance.

Snarling again, he spun and threw another punch at Jack's head. Again, Jack slipped to the side, using his arms to twist Hannibal's blow off-course. Then Hannibal turned back, swinging a leg out, seeming to think he could catch Jack by surprise and knock him off his feet.

But Jack took an effortless leap into the air, avoiding Hannibal's attempted trick. While he was off the ground, Jack reached forward and grabbed both of Hannibal's shoulders. Then he flipped forward, sailing over his opponent's head.

Landing on his feet, back to back with his enemy, Jack let out another deep breath. He felt none of the rage that had possessed him during the fight with Chase. A relaxed tranquility ran through his body. His ability shouldn't have increased all that much. Yet he felt so much stronger.

Or rather, Hannibal felt weaker. His opponent spun around and took a few steps back. Jack turned to face him, a tiny smile coming unbidden to his lips. The calm feeling of strength was the greatest thing he'd ever experienced. Hannibal let out an angry mutter.

"Must have fixed those damn nanobot things…"

Jack let a cocky grin cross his face. "Nope. Good guess, though."

Like he'd done before, Hannibal held out one hand, open-palmed, fingers outstretched. Again, green energy shot from his hand. And again, Jack let the blast hit him right in the chest.

Hannibal's triumphant expression froze as Jack grinned.

"Sorry, Hannibal, but I'm not cheating this time. It's all me. Guess those bots awoke my true potential."

Jack slipped forward, tapping Hannibal once on either side of his head and once on his chest. But he put some power behind the blow to his enemy's chest. Hannibal stumbled backward, almost falling to his knees again.

"The same trick isn't gonna work twice." Jack crossed his arms. "You should know that."

With a roar of rage, Hannibal lunged forward, swinging his fist at Jack's face. But his blows were easy to dodge. Jack wondered if his newfound strength would lessen the pain from blows received, but he didn't exactly want to test it. The pain from the last battle was still lingering in the back of his mind.

Again and again, Jack knocked Hannibal to the ground. He couldn't remember Hannibal ever having been this persistent before. Usually he could tell when he was beaten.

As his opponent grew tired (apparently even Laverna's power wasn't limitless), Jack eased back, pulling his punches even more. Hannibal probably could have fought better, or at least longer, if he wasn't wasting energy on blind, furious attacks.

Finally, Hannibal didn't get up. Jack stood, waiting, but his opponent didn't even look up at him. This time when Hannibal spoke, his voice was desperate.

"It's impossible. Impossible… Laverna's powers… I'm the greatest—"

Jack leaned down and grabbed Hannibal by the front of his tattered cloak. He pushed the bigger warrior back, forcing him to look up and meet his gaze. "Yeah, yeah. We heard it already. Now give me the Sphere of Yun."

Hannibal's eyes narrowed. "No way in hell, Spicer. No way. This power is mine."

"Fine, have it your way." Jack shrugged. Then he shoved Hannibal down onto his back and placed one foot on his chest. Hannibal struggled, grabbing at Jack's leg, but there was nothing he could do. His energy was gone. Jack glanced over at the others.

Kimiko and Clay were watching, mouths agape. Raimundo was now sitting on Clay's shoulder. He also looked impressed, but he seemed tired. Using one's elemental powers, Dashi had explained once, exhausted one's energy. Flying around constantly probably hadn't been easy.

Wuya was standing now. She seemed to be regaining her strength. When Jack looked over, her face lit up and she gave him a wave.

Jack also noticed, not too far away from where the monks were standing, Chase was still leaning on one of the walls. He, too, looked impressed.

"Hey, Wuya," said Jack, waving back at her. "Will you come over here for a sec? I need your help."

Without hesitation, Wuya walked across the courtyard. The other monks followed. Once she was close enough, Jack reached out and wrapped his arms around Wuya's shoulders. She reached her own arms around him, and he felt her skinny fingers grip onto the back of his robe.

"You can still sense shen-gong-wu, right?" Jack's voice was quiet. Wuya nodded. "So you should be able to tell where he hid the Sphere of Yun, right?"

Again, Wuya nodded. Then she glanced down, scanning their fallen foe. Jack didn't look down. He kept his eyes on her.

"It's right there," she said, pointing. "He has it tied to his belt. He made it invisible."

Jack nodded. Then, while she was still looking down, he leaned up, closed his eyes, and kissed her on the cheek. Her skin went warm beneath his lips, and she didn't look up at him.

Then Jack reached down and grabbed at the empty space she had pointed at. Sure enough, his fingers touched something that he couldn't see. Hannibal struggled, finally reaching out and grabbing Jack's wrist.

But Jack pulled his arm, and the Sphere of Yun, away from Hannibal's grasp.

(Wow. Second to last chapter. This is kinda crazy for me, haha. I've never written anything this long before, even my novels. I feel like I've made so many mistakes with this story, but I still feel proud of it. Now I'm getting all nostalgic, lol.

Oh yeah, I just wanted to say that I just got done watching the anime _Gurren Lagann,_ so I kept wanting people (especially Wuya, for some reason O_o) to grit their teeth and scream "Who the hell do you think I am?" Lol!

Thanks so much everyone! You're the best!)


	17. Raise Your Glass

Chapter 17 – Raise Your Glass

Wuya shielded her eyes as Hannibal was once again enveloped in blinding green-white light. This time, instead of laughter, an enraged scream escaped from their fallen enemy. Jack stepped back, probably not wanting to crush Hannibal's newly shrunken form underfoot.

But when the light disappeared, there was no little red bean on the ground before them. Instead, Wuya was shocked to see the little boy of her childhood. His scraggly red hair was standing up at odd ends, his eyes were shut tight, and his hands were clenched into fists.

Suddenly, Wuya was struck by how small and pathetic Hannibal looked. This was their great enemy? Of course, with Hannibal, looks were often quite deceiving. But still…

Then Wuya realized that she couldn't feel Hannibal's revolting aura. It was gone.

Jack smiled down. "How's this, Hannibal?" The boy squinted up at them through one eye. "You get to be human again, but no powers. It's win-win, right?"

The monks looked shocked for a moment, then Raimundo smiled over at Jack. Hannibal, on the other hand, didn't look quite as pleased.

"You'll pay for this, Spicer." The boy climbed to his feet. Wuya noticed that his wounds from the fight were surprisingly minimal. It'd looked like he'd been taking quite a beating. But he still looked exhausted. "I'll get you back, I swear." His child's voice wasn't nearly as intimidating as Wuya remembered. The fear and disgust she'd felt whenever he spoke was completely gone.

"Okay, Hannibal," said Jack. Wuya was surprised at the serious expression on Jack's face. "That's fine. But maybe this time you should try developing and using your own abilities. As you can see, they're always gonna be stronger in the end."

Hannibal let out an irritated growl. "Don't preach at me, boy. I've been fighting since—"

"Boy?" Jack reached out and put a hand on Hannibal's head, ruffling his hair. "You're the one who looks like a boy here."

With another angry snarl, little Hannibal pulled away from Jack's reach. He seemed about to say more, but gave up. Turning away, he headed for the temple entrance.

Once he was gone, the three monks let out victorious cheers, each of them tackling Jack with joyous hugs. Kimiko kissed him on the cheek, and Wuya echoed Raimundo's annoyed glare.

"Okay, okay, guys, this isn't completely over yet." Jack grinned and pushed the monks away. Then he wrapped one arm around Wuya's shoulders. He tossed the Sphere of Yun into the air and caught it. "Despite how great this power feels, we gotta get rid of this Laverna chick right now." He glanced down at the shen-gong-wu in his hand. "She's wearing on me already, I can't imagine how bad it must be for Omi."

Clay smiled. "Well, you've got the power now, right Jack? You could just kick her out, right?"

Jack hesitated. Then he nodded. "Yeah, I could." He glanced at Omi, still trapped inside the Sphere of Yun. Then he held the wu up into the air, releasing Omi from his prison.

Wuya let out a surprised gasp, and the other monks tensed up as well. Omi leapt from his temporary prison and landed on the ground, emerald-flamed eyes narrowed. Jack stepped forward.

"Have you come to your senses yet, cheddarhead?" Jack narrowed his eyes. "You gonna kick her out now or what?"

The green light flickered in Omi's eyes as he let out an inhuman snarl. Wuya didn't have time to react as he lunged forward and struck Jack in the stomach with a clenched fist. Jack doubled over, falling to one knee.

The monks stepped forward with Wuya, letting out angry protests. But Jack held a hand up, stopping them.

"Back off guys. We've got this." He looked up at Omi, his expression irritated. "I told you already, Omi, I'm not gonna fight you. I'd never hurt my friends. So go ahead and beat me up if it makes you feel better." Jack dropped down onto his other knee as well and slid down into a sitting position. He held his arms out, inviting Omi's attack.

Wuya wanted to step in the way. To fight Omi off. How could Jack just sit there and let himself get beat up?

But the little monk didn't move. His eyes were now wider. Uncertain. Confused. Then, a look of determination that was pure Omi crossed his face. Wuya watched, suddenly feeling empathetic toward the young monk's agony, as he tore Laverna's power from himself.

* * *

><p>Raimundo didn't like seeing Omi in so much pain, but it didn't take long for him to banish Laverna's powers. Once they were gone, the little monk looked exhausted. The green flames were gone from his eyes, and his expression was back to normal. He stumbled forward, almost falling. But Jack reached out and caught him.<p>

"Jack…I am sorry," said Omi, voice as weak as his body. "I have…caused more problems. I am sorry…"

"Nah, you didn't, Omi." Jack grinned down. "After all, now you can heal Rai, huh?" He glanced over at Chase, who was still leaning on a nearby wall. "Also, you helped me find my own inner strength, y'know?"

Omi looked up and gave Jack a weak smile. "Thank you, my friend." He reached his small arms up and wrapped them around Jack's shoulders. "Thank you for having faith in me."

"I couldn't not have faith in you, Omi," said Jack, chuckling. "You had faith in me first, remember?"

Tears came to Omi's eyes as he nodded. Then he looked over at Raimundo and the others. He forced himself up to his feet.

"Raimundo. I owe you an apology as well." Omi gave Rai a weak bow. "I am sorry, my friend. My selfishness almost got everyone killed."

Rai grinned. "Hey, don't sweat it, Omi. Not like it's the first time, anyway." Omi's face fell even further, and Raimundo chuckled. "I mean, not like it's the first time one of us has screwed up. I mean, c'mon, what you did isn't nearly as bad as me releasing this unholy terror on the world." Raimundo jerked his head in Wuya's direction.

"Gee, thanks so much Raimundo." Wuya gave him a flat glare.

Kimiko laughed. "He's right, Omi." She put a hand on his small shoulder. "We've all made dumb mistakes in the past. Especially Raimundo." She grinned over.

"Hey now," said Jack, stepping forward. "I think I still hold the worst track record around here."

Wuya slipped an arm around his waist and laughed. "Sure, kid. You've got a long way to go before you're as bad as me."

"I'm just happy this is all over," said Clay. "Plus, you really can heal Raimundo now, can't you, Omi?"

The little monk nodded, seeming eager. "I will do so at once." He turned to his friend and motioned to the ground before them. "Lay down here, Raimundo."

A thrill of excitement ran through Rai. "You sure, Omi? Right here?" Now that Laverna's oppressive aura was gone, he couldn't stop his heart from racing. Despite his excitement, however, Raimundo didn't fail to notice that Jack had definitely healed himself during the fight with Hannibal. Yet now, he was insisting that Omi heal Raimundo.

Rai shot a curious glance at Jack, but the boy was already walking over toward Chase, his arm still wrapped around Wuya's shoulders. She was looking up at him, an uncharacteristically dreamy smile on her face. Raimundo suppressed a chuckle. Would they ever have an enemy that wasn't a child at heart?

Then again, he realized as he flopped to the ground and looked up at Omi, it wasn't like his own teammates were any better.

Omi reached down and placed one hand on Raimundo's forehead. Then he ran the other hand down Rai's chest, pressing his fingers firmly against him.

"So…" Rai raised an eyebrow. "Is this gonna hurt?"

The little monk didn't respond. His eyes were narrow and focused. Kimiko and Clay leaned in, eyes wide. Raimundo suddenly got the feeling that he was being used as a guinea pig for Omi's new technique.

Then, without warning, Omi pressed both palms forcefully against Rai's head and stomach. Rai looked up, about to repeat his question, when a surge of energy shot through his body. He knew instinctively, or perhaps through its familiarity, that Omi's Xiaolin energy was cycling through his body.

Raimundo couldn't move. Couldn't speak. He felt his body shudder, but his physical senses were dulled. He could barely make out his friends' faces above him; their expressions were nothing more than blurs. More than anything, he could feel the energy running through his veins. It felt like water.

And then, again without warning, the feeling vanished. Raimundo was left gasping for breath, every nerve tingling with leftover energy. His earlier exhaustion was suddenly gone, and he felt his own renewed energy surging through him.

Without stopping to think, Raimundo used his energy to lunge to his feet. Power ran through his legs. Even through the thin monk's shoes, he could feel the cool earth beneath his feet.

With a joyous squeal, Kimiko lunged into his arms. He was almost knocked backward, but the electric energy allowed him to react quickly. Wrapping his arms around Kimiko, he pulled her from the ground. A giddy laugh escaped from his lips, and he took a few steps with Kimiko in his arms.

Then he started running.

* * *

><p>Jack grinned as he and Wuya approached Chase Young. The immortal warrior's face was now a mask, but Jack remembered his look of awe during the fight with Hannibal. While knowing that he shouldn't, Jack couldn't help but feel a sense of intense pride. Chase, once a warrior completely out of his sights, was now looking up to him.<p>

"Very impressive, Spicer." Chase forced a flat tone. "Of course, I'd have been disappointed if you couldn't defeat such a pathetic enemy as Hannibal Roy Bean."

"Well, I'd never disappoint you, Chase." Jack's smile broadened. "After all, you are my evil hero."

Wuya sniggered. But Chase just sneered, not finding the joke as funny as she seemed to.

"We shall see who's laughing in the end, Spicer. Don't get too cocky." Chase turned and headed toward the temple entrance. "I swear I will defeat you one day."

The words were meant to be a threat, of course, but Jack felt his heart swell with pride. Trying to keep the excitement from his voice, he waved at his old enemy's back.

"Alright then. I'll be waiting for you, Chase."

Not responding, Chase disappeared through the doorway. Once he was gone, Jack dropped his mask and threw both arms around Wuya, lifting her into the air and spinning her around in circles. She let out a surprised squeak that was drowned out by his laughter.

When he finally slowed, Wuya grinned at him. "I don't see why you want that guy's approval so bad, Jack." He looked away, cheeks reddening slightly. Wuya leaned up close and spoke into his ear. "So now that he's gone…you gonna tell me how you did that?"

Jack gave her a sheepish smile. "Inner strength?"

"Sure Jack, like we're gonna buy that." Raimundo's voice came from behind them Jack turned, still holding Wuya in his arms, to see Rai standing with a grin on his face. Kimiko, Clay, and Omi stood with him, but Omi looked more than a little out of it. He seemed about to collapse.

Again, happiness surged through Jack. He set Wuya on the ground and reached out, placing a hand on Raimundo's shoulder. Although he tried to force back his tears, Jack finally had to turn his head away.

Raimundo laughed. "C'mon, Jack, it's not like you're the one who got healed."

"I know," said Jack, trying to keep the emotion from his voice. He never had been good at holding back tears. "It's just…"

"Yeah, yeah," said Rai, waving a hand. "Anyway, why don't you let us all in on your secret."

"Yeah," said Kimiko. "Was that other Jack just a robot? The return of Robo-Jack?"

"Or did you use one of those hologram doohickeys?" Clay seemed excited.

"You are all mistaken," said Omi, voice weak but still proud. "Jack has simply found his inner strength. I always knew he would be a great Xiaolin warrior."

Jack chuckled. "Well, actually, you're all a little off. The truth isn't nearly as exciting. Do you really wanna know?"

The monks leaned forward, nodding.

"All I did was complete my nanobots. They were originally intended as a healing machine, and they were always supposed to work with my life energy. Y'know, my Xiaolin energy?"

Raimundo and Wuya nodded, and the others looked only a little confused. They'd never been told exactly what the nanobots were, but Jack was sure they could figure it out.

"Well, I spoke to Dashi after Hannibal knocked me out, and he gave me an idea." Jack grinned. "Completely unintentionally, of course. But…I realized…" Jack blushed, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed that he hadn't thought of this sooner. It seemed so obvious. "Well, I needed both energies. Xiaolin and Heylin."

Omi's eyes widened. "You used Heylin abilities? Jack, are you sure that—"

"It's fine, Omi," said Raimundo. "Dashi told us about a bunch of stuff…er…it's kinda complicated." He glanced away, and Jack raised an eyebrow. It wasn't that complicated. "Tell ya what, I'll get Dashi to bring you guys along for training next time, okay? Then he can tell you all about it."

"Oh, yes!" A tired smile spread across Omi's face. "Training with Grand Master Dashi…I am ready for it…" His voice trailed off. He seemed unable to keep his eyes open.

"You're just too lazy to tell them about it, aren't you, Raimundo?" Jack crossed his arms. Rai grinned.

"Oh, do not worry, Jack," said Omi, eyes closed now. "I am quite sure that Grand Master Dashi will…explain everything much better…than you or Raimundo could."

"Yeah, exactly," said Rai, putting both hands behind his head. "Wouldn't want to botch the explanation or anything." Jack rolled his eyes.

"But wait, Jack," said Rai. "Hannibal broke your nanobots, didn't he? And your neck was broken, too. You couldn't have completed them. Even if you could somehow fix them in that short of time, you couldn't even move."

"Well, first of all, Hannibal didn't really break the bots, he just fizzled their power supply. I knew right away, because I could tell the heli-bot wasn't broken. Basically, its battery was just dead." Jack reached down and pulled up his goggles. "Unlike the heli-bot, though, these things and the nanobots were made to run on an alternate power source.

"See, the nanobots aren't really practical by themselves because I'd have to keep recharging their batteries, which would require extracting them from my body. Also, they aren't strong enough to do everything I want them to do, like healing. So like I said, I was gonna use Xiaolin energy as the power source, but I couldn't get it to work.

"So once I figured out how to use both Xiaolin and Heylin energy together, which didn't take long, they're both inside me and pretty easy to control, like you guys' elemental powers, I just got the bots to heal me. It wasn't a big deal." He shrugged.

"Really, though, I was surprised that they made me that much stronger. Actually, I don't think I really was stronger. I think I was just calm and Hannibal…wasn't. Guess there really is something to inner strength after all."

The others looked at him, and he could tell that some had gotten his explanation better than others. He'd tried to dumb it down as much as he could. Finally, Raimundo spoke.

"Well regardless of all that, using your nanobots really does seem like cheating." He crossed his arms. "Does that really count as inner strength? I thought you'd have learned your lesson about using shortcuts."

Jack smiled. "Well, if I hadn't then we'd all be dead right now, wouldn't we? Anyway, I've always been a cheater. You know that. It's one of my inner strengths." He chuckled at his own joke.

"Dashi's gonna give you an earful. You know that, right?"

"I don't think so." Jack's smile softened as he looked down at Wuya. "I think I've finally found my balance. Trying to be all-out good doesn't work for me." He pulled off the yellow goggles and looked down at them. "This is who I am. Not all bad…but not all good, either."

Raimundo chuckled. "Well, whatever you say. I don't care, as long as you're on our side."

But Jack could see the satisfaction in Raimundo's eyes. He could see the boy's pride.

"So what's it like being able to walk around again?"

"Eh, no big deal," said Rai, shrugging. "What was really impressive was Omi's healing technique." He shook his head. "You guys have got to try it."

Jack shot a malicious grin over at the others. "Yeah, I agree. We should all get a chance to try it out. Lets have a spar, guys. I still have some old bruises to repay."

Clay gave a nervous smile, holding out both hands. "Now, now, no need to be hasty, partner. I know you're not a bully, Jack."

"Yeah," said Kimiko, matching Clay's expression once again. "I mean, we were all kids back then, right? We should just let bygones be bygones…"

Glancing down at Omi, expecting the little monk to jump at the opportunity to fight, Jack realized that his friend was curled up on the ground. Omi's eyes were shut, and he was using his arm as a makeshift pillow.

"Poor little fella's had a rough day," said Clay, picking Omi up without hesitation.

"Yeah, we've all had a tough one," said Kimiko, stretching and yawning theatrically. "I think we should go get some sleep."

"It's not even lunchtime," said Jack. "What a bunch of wimps, I swear."

Raimundo chuckled, and Jack looked over. "Rai, you'll spar with me, right?" His friend's smile froze for a moment.

"I dunno, Jack, I mean, maybe we should get to the dream world. I'm sure Dashi is eager to start the others' training…" Rai looked off, not meeting Jack's eyes.

"Sure, Rai. You haven't even talked to him about it yet." Jack gave him a small pout. "Fine, fine. Be that way. Not like I care."

"Why don't you train with Wuya? Surely you owe her just as many bruises?"

Jack looked down at the woman in his arms and smiled again. "Actually, Wuya, I had a question for you. Er…I haven't spoken to Master Fung yet. But still, I don't think he'll object. I mean, you are a Xiaolin Dragon. And one of Dashi's closest friends. And…"

Rai reached over and clapped Jack on the back.

"I think that's a great idea, Jack. And I mean…it's not like she has her Heylin powers anymore." Raimundo grinned at the confused look on Jack's face. "Well, I mean, she obviously didn't have them before. But now there's no chance she could get them back, right? So she's harmless."

"What are you talking about, Rai?" Jack looked from his friend to Wuya. "Did something happen while I was unconscious?"

"Oh yeah." Rai laughed. "It was totally bad ass. And you missed it." He shook his head.

"What? What happened?"

"Stop teasing him, Raimundo," said Wuya. She looked away, a small blush coming to her face. "It wasn't really that big of a deal. Nothing to get excited over. I just didn't want Hannibal thinking he could control me, that's all."

"Yeah right, Wuya." Raimundo clapped her on the back. Then he looked up at Jack. "Hannibal tried to unlock her old Heylin powers."

Jack blinked. "What? Why?"

"Just trying to tease us, I think." Rai shrugged. "Or maybe he thought she'd go back to his side. I dunno, but either way, she told him no. She refused them. But he tried to do it anyway." He grinned. "But she wouldn't have it. Said she didn't need them."

Wuya didn't meet Jack's eyes. "Well, I don't."

"So she kicked them out. Looked like a serious struggle." Raimundo put a hand on her shoulder. "But she won. It was pretty awesome."

Smile broadening, Jack squeezed Wuya tighter. "I'm impressed. So I guess that pretty much answers my question, huh? I was gonna ask if you wanted to stay here for good. Train with us. Become a monk again and all that." He grinned down at her. "You get a tiny little closet to live in and a nice, comfy block of wood to sleep on."

Raimundo chuckled. Wuya finally looked up at Jack. Her cheeks were pink.

"Guess I don't have anything better to do."

"Sweet," said Rai, clapping her on the back again. "I'll go let Master Fung know." With an excited whoop, Raimundo took off across the courtyard, running as fast as he could. Kimiko was by his side the whole way, and Clay followed behind them, Omi still in his arms.

But Jack and Wuya walked slowly, surveying the damage to the courtyard.

"I guess it's not as bad as it could be," said Jack. "We've seen it in far worse shape."

Wuya chuckled. "We've put it into far worse shape." She glanced up. "I have a question, though. And I'm sure Rai will be wondering the same thing." Jack glanced off, knowing what she was going to ask.

"You used the nanobots to heal yourself, right? But you could have just healed Raimundo with them, instead of having the runt do it. Why didn't you? I know how bad you wanted to. I mean, that's why you made those things in the first place, right?"

"Omi wanted to." Jack shrugged. "I didn't…I guess I didn't feel like I had to. The whole time…I just wanted to prove myself. To Rai. To Chase." He glanced at her and didn't add 'to you.'

"But…I just don't feel like I need to now." He grinned. "Something about the whole 'inner strength' thing, I guess. And anyway, Omi would have felt bad. I mean, the whole thing was only partially his fault. I'm sure he felt like healing Rai was part of his…atonement? I dunno, it's hard to explain."

"I get it." Wuya laughed. "And I'm glad. I wanted to say congratulations, Jack. You've…" She paused, seeming to struggle, looking for the right words. "You've done a great job. I'm…I'm proud of you." She looked away, blushing. "I mean…what I mean is…"

Jack leaned down, tilting Wuya's chin up with one hand. Her eyes widened slightly as he pressed his lips up to hers. He closed his eyes, letting the kiss go on, realizing that everything was right with the world.

Then he pulled back slightly, smiling at her green eyes and red cheeks. "So are you saying I'm finally good enough for you?"

A wide smile spread across Wuya's face. "I don't think so, Jacky. You gotta do a lot more to impress me." She turned her back and started heading across the courtyard, running her fingers through her hair. "But I'll let you keep trying."

Grinning, and feeling like his heart was jumping out of his chest, Jack followed Wuya back to the temple.

* * *

><p>When Wuya fell asleep, Dashi could tell. The other monks had already slipped into unconsciousness, but he hadn't appeared to them yet. He could feel their presence, as always. But now, for the first time, the one presence he'd been craving since his imprisonment was there.<p>

What he'd said to Jack and Raimundo was the truth. He was physically unable to appear to anyone with evil in his or her future. He'd had warriors disappear from his sights because they strayed too far into the darkness. He'd had once-cruel fighters make their way to him.

But he'd given up hope that he'd be able to speak to her again. To see her, face to face. And now, all it would take was his will. She was there. All he had to do was reach out.

But what would he say? Would she even care? He'd seen Jack's memories, and he couldn't stop a pang of bitter jealousy from flaring in his chest.

Yet, despite his illogical feelings, overwhelming happiness ran through him. She was safe. She was happy. And now he could see her.

And Jack had better keep a close eye on her, he said to himself. He might be dead, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try for what he wanted, if the opportunity presented itself.

Jack had better make her happy.

Before calling on any of the others, Dashi reached out only to her.

The End.

(Wow. I can't believe I'm done. This is super exciting, but also kinda sad. I can already feel a JackandWuya-shaped hole in my chest. *sniff* Well, thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Despite all my shortcomings with this story, I'm still proud of it.

Again (sorry to keep asking), I'd really appreciate a review if you have time. Even if it's just short and especially if you found something wrong with the story. I'm really trying to improve here, so even flames are useful. Thanks so much! I love you all!

Oh, and I wanted to mention that I have some original work over on FictionPress if anybody was interested (I use the same name). Just short stuff, nothing too fancy or whatever. But I'll probably post up there more than here. Thanks so much again!)


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